Os caras da minha geração e os das gerações anteriores sonham há um tempão com a convergência do mundo real e virtual. O Pierre Lévy explora incansavelmente o assunto. Os irmãos Wachowski fizeram a trilogia mais celebrada do cinema, em que o real e o virtual se fundem de maneiras inimagináveis.

Ultimamente têm pipocado um montão de novidades que dão uma dica da proximidade desse nosso sonho se tornar realidade. Uma delas é a ‘Realidade Misturada’, ou sua versão mais conhecida, ‘Realidade Aumentada’. Confesso que não conhecia muito bem sobre o assunto, mas o meu novo Acessor para Assuntos que Interessam a Geeks (AAIG) me atualizou em alguns minutos. Claro, se eu desse uma googleada eu conseguiria também, mas nada como ter um orientado antenado, né, Wesley?!

Enfim, só para atualizar os leitores deste humilde folhetim eletrônico sobre Comunicação e Marketing, Realidade Aumentada (RA), de acordo com o site www.realidadeaumentada.com.br, “é definida usualmente como a sobreposição de objetos virtuais tridimensionais, gerados por computador, com um ambiente real, por meio de algum dispositivo tecnológico”. Ou seja, é a convergência entre os ambientes virtual e real, que ainda pode gerar a Virtualidade Aumentada (VA). O que diferencia um do outro é que na RA há a predominância de elementos do ambiente real e na VA, óbvio, do virtual.

O grande barato não é apenas o amálgama em si, mas a possibilidade de você poder alterar os elementos de acordo com a sua preferência. Com as próprias mãos! Um exemplo bem legal é o MY.IKEA, da Ikea (aquela loja de móveis do Clube da Luta). Com uma webcam e os prints das peças e dos móveis (ou de ícones que os represente) você consegue fazer uma simulação. Dá uma olhada no vídeo:

A Tok & Stok quis fazer algo parecido (eu disse PARECIDO) aqui no Brasil, mas se aproximou mais da VA, se levarmos em consideração os conceitos do site Realidade Aumentada. A empresa (ou aqueles que fizeram o projeto) chamou de ‘Planta Virtual Tok & Stok – Realidade Aumentada’. Apesar dos depoimentos no final do vídeo, achei meio fraquinho (além de equivocado), ainda mais depois de assistir ao do Ikea:

Quem é viciado em games já conhece o tema há mais tempo. No mês passado eu postei um texto sobre o Projeto Natal, da Microsoft. Eu achei que fosse a descoberta do século (ou melhor, do Psycho do Surra), mas depois de uns dias, um monte iconoclastas e viciados em games me disseram que já conheciam. Para o Play Station 3 (PS3) existe o muito louco Eye of Judgement e para o PSP, o Invizimals:

Pra quem quiser mais exemplos de Realidade Aumentada pode também dar uma olhada no Bannerblog, um site especializado em mídia web banner. O meu AAIG achou um link que leva a uma série de vídeos sobre o assunto.

Realidade Ampliada é um assunto bastante vasto, que já foi tema de post no Brainstorm 9 inclusive. Pra quem se interessou e quer aprender a fazer, tem até uma Biblioteca para Realidade Aumentada, com os softwares e dicas para desenvolvimento de RA. O negócio é bem elaborado e a Biblioteca tem tudo bem explicadinho.

Vai lá e boa sorte.

Secret Trophies

Gatemaster
For braving the gateway to battle. (Victory vs. starter deck)

Mourning Ascetic
For training in the rites of the flame. (Victory vs. Set 1 theme deck, Fire Crusader)

Okunadan Monk
For suppressing the aquatic mutiny. (Victory vs. Set 1 theme deck, Water Barrage)

Swordsman of East Reach
For gaining the recognition of your earthen comrades. (Victory vs. Set 1 theme deck, Earth
Emperor)

Til Vorg Riders
For those who have joined the liberation army of wood. (Victory vs. Set 1 theme deck, Wood
Swarm)

Biolith Castle Gatekeeper
For proving oneself to the Bioliths. (Victory vs. Set 1 theme deck, Biolith Scourge)

Black Goat Prison Guard
For capturing the unscrupulous followers of the flame. (Victory vs. Set 2 theme deck, Fire King’s Rage)

Venoan Mercenary
For passing the initiation of the water clan. (Victory vs. Set 2 theme deck, Water Conquest)

Undead Battalion
For suppression of the earthen dead. (Victory vs. Set 2 theme deck, Earth Atonement)

Green Bandits
For being admitted into the band of wood thieves. (Victory vs. Set 2 theme deck, Wood Unleashed)

Biolith Castle Archive Curator
For reaching complete and true understanding of the Bioliths. (Victory vs. Set 2 theme deck, Biolith
Godmaker)

Theraclave Gatekeeper
For being admitted into the army of flame. (Victory vs. Set 3 theme deck, Fire Havoc)

Tritonan Palace Guard
For being admitted into the army of water. (Victory vs. Set 3 theme deck, Water of Death)

Blade Guild at Visvar Vaas
For being admitted into the circle of earthen knights. (Victory vs. Set 3 theme deck, Earth
Desolation)

Alchemist’s Lab Worker
For being recommended to the wood research facility. (Victory vs. Set 3 theme deck, Wood Mayhem)

Biolith Godmaker
For those who might become a Biolith godmaker. (Victory vs. Set 3 theme deck, Biolith Revenge)

Yaksha Ninja
For victory over the federation army. (Victory vs. Set 1 theme deck, Arbiter)

Parmetic Inquisitor
For meting punishment to the Parmetic heretics. (Victory vs. Set 2 theme deck, Parmetic Wrath)

Sacred Darkness Academy Attendee
For gaining entrance to the academy. (Victory vs. Set 3 theme deck, Eye of Judgment)

Mourning Reverend Father
For fending the trespassers off with your bare hands. (Completion of Set 1 Challenge 1)

Okunadan Father
For the inspiration required to end a battle swiftly. (Completion of Set 1 Challenge 2)

Liberator of East Reach
For conquering every outpost of your enemy. (Completion of Set 1 Challenge 3)

Forest Chief
For ambushing the enemy with relentless forces. (Completion of Set 1 Challenge 4)

Battle Master
For gaining ground on the great expanse. (Completion of Set 1 Challenge 5)

Ninja Patriarch
For inspiring steadfast unity in battle. (Completion of Set 1 Challenge 6)

Black Goat Prison Warden
For suppressing the riots with an iron will. (Completion of Set 2 Challenge 1)

Venoan Don
For utilizing intelligence to confuse enemy forces. (Completion of Set 2 Challenge 2)

Undead General
An award for complete and total dominance. (Completion of Set 2 Challenge 3)

Green King
For claiming all for one’s own in the blink of an eye. (Completion of Set 2 Challenge 4)

Unsinkable Biolith Armada
For abolishing the Prime Elements. (Completion of Set 2 Challenge 5)

Parmetic Prior
For punishing heretics near and far. (Completion of Set 2 Challenge 6)

Chief of Dhees’ Army of 1000
For pushing your foes back with a deific physical prowess. (Completion of Set 3 Challenge 1)

Tritonan Admiral
For achieving victory without needless spilling of blood. (Completion of Set 3 Challenge 2)

Ten Tyrants
For utter annihilation of your blasphemous foes. (Completion of Set 3 Challenge 3)

Lord of the Forest
For victory achieved before war could be declared. (Completion of Set 3 Challenge 4)

Condemned Biolith
For striking fear into the hearts of the heartless Bioliths. (Completion of Set 3 Challenge 5)

Master Summoner
In recognition of your rank as a master summoner. (Completion of Set 3 Challenge 6)

Divine Warrior of Juno
In recognition of those truly experienced in battle. (victory in countless duels)

Divine Summoner
In recognition of your rank as a true master summoner. (Acquisition of all trophies)

Because of this lack of updates some of these are pretty old, still these are some records that I’ve really enjoyed in the last months…

BIRDS OF A FEATHER – THE PAST THE PRESENT [Refuse Records]
myspace.com/xbirdsofafeatherx | refuserecords.prv.pl

I feel stupid reviewing this record almost one year after JP gave it to me last summer at Fluff Fest, no doubt procrastination is a big problem for me… anyway, at least I’m reviewing this while pre-orders are being taken for the vinyl version of the record, which is also featuring a 12″-sized book entitled “The Past The Present 1982-2007: A History of 25 Years of European Straight Edge” written by Marc and JP, documenting the history of the European straight edge scene through bands going from Lärm to Eye of Judgement as well as Mainstrike and whatever else can come to your mind! Musically expect the good old youth crew sound always backed by Bigma’s socially conscious and positive minded lyrics. Get your hands on the LP + book, definately a European hardcore must-have!

CRUEL HAND – PRYING EYES [Bridge 9 Records]
myspace.com/cruelhand | bridge9.com

Started as a side-project featuring members of Outbreak, this band got many people siked since their first 7″ came out in late 2006. Anyway, since then this band managed to put out an amazing LP, tour both the US and Erope and finally sign a deal with Bridge 9. In fact here they are releasing their B9 debut, “Prying Eyes”. Believe me if I say this is going to be one of the heaviest records released this year, and the 12 songs featured on this LP, a perfect mix of hardcore, metal and crossover influences, can only confirm what I’m saying. Aggressive and brutal are the best words to describe the sound of this band, bringing faster parts with some pretty heavy breakdowns, sure to be the soundtrack of some heavy moshing during their live shows. These dudes are constantly touring, so be sure you don’t miss the chance to have some fun on the dancefloor!

DANNY DIABLO – HARDCORE 4 THE COLD HEARTED [Countdown Records]
myspace.com/lordezec | countdownrecords.com

When you hear the name Danny Diablo you pretty much know what to expect, and this release once again confirms that the DD / Countdown Records combo is nothing but a winning team! After more than ten years of activity it’s time for this NYHC icon to have a collection release… and here it is! On these two CD’s you can find more than 50 songs that include Crown of Thornz, Skarhead and Icepick material as well as Lord Ezec’s solo projects featuring guest appearances of OG dudes such as John “Bloodclot” Joseph, Freddy Madball, Lou of Subzero, Craig Ahead, Roger AF, Danny Boy and Everlast of House of Pain, Skinhead Rob, Necro and many others… grab this shit and go TCOB!

H2O – NOTHING TO PROVE [Bridge 9 Records]
myspace.com/h2ofamily | bridge9.com

Finally, after a 7 years long wait, New York’s hardcore legends are back with a brand new record – and let me assure you it was worth waiting this long! After being around for more than 13 years, they couldn’t pick a better title for this record, as they really have nothing to prove at the point they’re at right now. The formula remains the same: hardcore in its purest form with a lot of melody and catchiness, great lyrics and an energy equal to no one around these days. If you were among those who were let down by their last effort “Go!”, as some people said when it came out, this record is definately going to bring you back on a heavy H2O trip. I really don’t know how they managed to do this, but there is no single song on this record that won’t stick in your mind and that you won’t find yourself humming while driving or walking in the street. Just like everything they released in the past, this is going to be a true classic!

IRON AGE – THE SLEEPING EYE [Cyclopean Records]
myspace.com/ironagetexas | cyclopeanrecords.com

Long-anticipated by last year’s “The Way Is Narrow” 7″, the new Iron Age record is something I was really looking forward to… unfortunately, not having too much time because of work and touring kept me out of date on this and I didn’t even know it was out, and when I did, it was already sold out (in a day?! amazing!)… curiosity pushed me to download it as soon as I heard t he news, so here I am listening to one amazing metal record, yeah, that’s what it is, it ain’t cheap metal played by a hardcore band, this is good metal played by an amazing hardcore band! Crossover influences of bands such as Crumbsuckers and Corrosion of Conformity perfectly melts with heavy metal and doom atmospheres. Tee Pee Records is re-releasing this in August to the masses, must grab this masterpiece!

OLDE YORK – EMPIRE STATE [Countdown Records]
myspace.com/oldeyork | countdownrecords.com

Two good friends involved in this release, my brother Luca of Countdown Records and my good NYC friend Blake Farber – the first one’s putting out this record while the second one’s playing guitar on it! Was really looking forward to hear this record and believe me, as soon as you put this into your CD player you’ll be brought back in time to CBGB’s matinees. While a lot of band nowadays are trying to get back to the NYHC thing, this is some real NYHC here, influenced by the likes of Warzone, Sick of It All and Breakdown, their fast and furious style is bound to turn heads. One old New York glory brought back on here too, Eddie Sutton of Leeway, featured on the song Talkin’ Smack. Plenty of good and danceable tunes here, so just make sure to grab this if you want some real New York hardcore!

RANCID – LET THE DOMINOES FALL [Epitaph]
myspace.com/rancid | epitaph.com

Six years passed since their last studio album and I’m pretty sure everyody into these legends of punk rock couldn’t wait anymore to listen to the new record! To be honest I was really excited when I heard the single “Last One To  Die”, it featured every single element that made Rancid what they are now, the catchiness and the intensity that only a classic band like them can keep through the years. Listening to the whole record you can hear how they got back to their earlier sound, the dope bass lines, the rocksteady influences, Lars and Tim unique vocals… it’s all there! Some say it’s already a classic, can’t say that as pretty much their whole discography is, but undoubtely an amazing new chapter in their career!

REMAIN – OUT OF ANGER [Not Just Words Records]
myspace.com/remain | njwrecords.com

Featuring ex-members of The Dead Scenestars and Spirit 84, this band already got me pretty siked with the first 7″ that came out a couple of years ago, and I must admit I really couldn’t wait to get this LP to see what was up with these guys right now. All I can say is that my expectations were fully satisfied – nothing has changed about them, they’re still all about straight to your face hardcore. The 14 songs featured on “Out of Anger” are strongly influenced by bands such as Judge, Floorpunch, Right Brigade and No Warning, with some amazing mosh parts here and there, a strong NYHC vibe, all topped by an energy equal to few. Within way too many hypes and meaningless poses, Remain’s taking back some real deal with no frills!

RUINER – I HEARD THESE DUDES ARE ASSHOLES [Bridge 9 Records]
myspace.com/ruiner | bridge9.com

Baltimore’s Ruiner are the perfect example of how a good DIY mentality and hard work can get you good results. These dudes started out by releasing everything by themselves and are now a world touring band releasing records on one of the biggest hardcore labels around right now. After 4 years as a band here they are with their 2nd release on Bridge 9 Records, which is  a collection featuring their “What Could Possibly Go Right” EP, their split with Portugal’s Day of The Dead as well as their first demo ever. Here’s a record to be considered a proof of dedication and loyalty to being a hardcore band.

THE RIVAL MOB – RAW LIFE [Lockin Out Records]
myspace.com/therivalmob | lockinout.com

I had never heard of this band until the first show of our US tour in March when we played The Democracy Center in Cambridge, MA and one of the band on the bill was in fact The Rival Mob. I must admit that even though I was as stoned as an orangutan I really enjoyed their show, these dudes decided to bring back some really old and unusual shit, influnced by bands such as Abused and Warzone what they do is straight up hardcore, some sweet mosh parts here and there, everything played fast and with no frills, shit is real! After the show their singer was cool enough to hook me up with this LP that I spin from time to time to enjoy some good ‘core!

TRAP THEM – SEIZURES IN BARREN PRAISE [Deathwish Inc.]
myspace.com/trapthem | deathwishinc.com

Allright, this is one of the hardest, heavier and most intense record that came out in 2008, get a fucking clue. People talked about this band called Trap Them and their descriptions didn’t really fit my taste so that I never really got to listen to them until we had the chance to play a show with them on their European tour last year with Grief… I stood open mouth from the first to the last song and ran to their merch table to grab an LP right after the show was over, couldn’t sleep on a band like them! It is pretty hard to define what these guys sound like, all I can say is that their heavy and abrasive sound is something unique and intense, backed by some truly awesome lyrics. The story of a ghost town called “Barren Praise” that will without any doubt make you think about your own life, at least that’s what it did with me…

Now playing:

• Cormega – The Realness
• Diplo DJ set yesterday night was the shit!
• Black Friday ‘29 – The Pursuit of Happiness

Few weeks ago I wrote a post on local search and how tomorrow’s handheld devices are able to react to the surroundings and in this way augment the virtual space of the device – and provide information on the screen of the current surroundings, for example. This is an example of augmented reality (AR) or a real-world and virtual world interaction.

I believe we are going to see a rapid increase in solutions and ways to use AR in consumer electronics, games, advertising, and for example shop windows or bus stops. Couple a weeks back, SamiV showed us a very intriguing augmented reality Mini advertisement on his blog.

Another interesting augmented reality application is Eye of Judgement. It is a card game, not too far from Magic the Gathering, where all the cards played on the table turn into virtual monsters on screen.

Here’s a AR tutorial by HitLab:

Digital Pictures Interactive is trying to revolutionize augmented reality by bringing it to everyone who owns a webcam.  As you can see in the video they have made a flash based system that allows you to print out a symbol and then watch it spring to life via your webcam.

Sony used this sort of tech in their Eye of Judgement card game, but appeal was limited due to the cost of entry (PS3, Eye of Judgement game, cards, PS eye).  Hopefully flash developers will be able to use this technology for a wide range of interesting applications.

Try it yourself at Digital Pictures Interactive.

[Source]

EOJ Fans – As you may have discovered already, the wait is finally over. Set 3 is slated for an October 16th release on PSN giving players not just 100 new cards, but more gameplay options and features that will change the way EOJ is played.

To introduce the new features that Set 3 will include we thought it would be more interesting for someone from our FPQA (First Party Quality Assurance) team to give you a sneak peek!

As you may or may not know, our testers get the sweet job of playing our games way before they release getting the inside scoop. So without further adieu, it’s my pleasure to introduce- Jason Greeson:

Hey everyone, my name is Jason ‘USMCOgre’ Greeson and I’m going to give you all an inside look at The Eye of Judgment: Set 3. I’ve been lucky enough to work on EOJ for a while now and have been playing Set 3 for the past few months. I’ve seen EOJ come along and progress into what it is today.

The first thing that’s really going to stick out to you veteran EOJ players is the new Bonus Features in the main menu which not only includes some great artwork, but incredibly in-depth storylines for all the elements and all the decks. If you ever wondered what the Eye of Judgment world was like, you’re about to get your answer.

Didi, one of the testers’ favorite cards, has one of the coolest stories of any game character I’ve ever seen. All of the Set 1 heroes have great in depth stories.

And the story behind Scion? You have to read it all to believe it.

Now let’s talk about what really brings everyone here: the new cards and gameplay features. In general, the evolution of the cards as far as abilities from Set 2 to Set 3 is huge. There are so many new creature combinations and spell cards that Set 3 is going to add a ton of new strategy to a game that was never short on strategy to begin with. To give you a taste, here is one of my favorite new Biolith cards.

This chainsaw wielding machine is just downright mean. If your opponent has any cards out with a large amount of HP, they won’t have it out for long if you have a Toxic Intruder ready in your hand. His attack does 2 damage, but here’s the best part: the creature you attack loses half, yes HALF of their HP if they survive the initial attack, even if the initial attack is dodged! This card will get the full attention of any opponent after you use it to take a Fist of Juno from 9 HP to 4 in one quick attack.

There is over 10 new abilities that are going to change the way the game is played. Some of the new abilities allow you to change a cards affiliation. Another makes it so your opponent cannot sacrifice a creature (sorry cubic!). Another even lets you see the opponent’s hand! That’s only 3 of the new abilities. There’s a bunch more and I know you want details on everything, but then what would you look forward to?

But don’t worry, more to come next week when I post more about my favorite Set 3 cards

Welcome to the late evening keynote of the second day of ISMAR ‘08 in Cambridge.

The keynote speaker is Diarmid Campbell, from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (London), and heads its research on camera gaming. And we are covering it in real time.

Diarmid comes on stage. the crowed is going crazy…

The talk: Out of the lab and into the living room

What a camera game? Simply put, you see yourself in the camera and add graphics on top.

The trouble with the brain: it fixes things you see (example of a checkerboard, a black square in the light has the same color as a white square in the dark.)

Background subtraction is the first thing you try to do. Using this technique, Diarmid superimposes him self in real time on top of…the ‘70 super band ABBA…

User interface motion buttons – use virtual buttons that the user activates. The response is not as robust, but it’s more responsive.

Example of EyeToy Kinetic

Next is a demonstration of vector buttons and optical flow.

You have to keep the control on the side – otherwise the player’s body will activate it unintentionally.

It turns out Sony decided not to use this control…not just yet.

A similar control was actually published in Creature Adventures available online. Diarmid struggles with it. The crowed goes wild. Diarmid: “You get the idea…”

Good input device characteristics: Many degrees of freedom, non-abstract (player action=game action), robust and responsive.

Camera games have been accused in the past for not having depth (too repetitive). There are 2 game mechanics: skill based (shoot the bad guy) and puzzle based. This could become shallow – unless you deliver on the responsiveness and robustness.

To demonstrate color tracking, Diarmid dives into the next demo (to the pleasure of the audience…). For this demo he holds 2 cheerleader pompoms…

“It’s like a dance dance revolution game, so I also have to sing and occasionally shout out party…”

The crowd is on the floor.

See for yourself -

We are on to drawing games, Sketch Tech. He draws a cow that is supposed to land on a banana shaped moon. He succeeds!

Using a face detector from Japan, here is a Head Tracking game: a green ball hangs from his mouth (a pendulum) and with circular moves of his head he rotates it, while trying to balance it…

Eye of judgment, a game that came out last year (bought out by Sony) relied on a marker based augmented reality technology. It is similar to a memory game, with a camera and a computer, and cards.

We are starting to wrap up and Diarmid summarizes, credits Pierre for setting up all the hardware, and opens the floor for questions.

Question: How do you make the game interesting when you’re doing similar gestures over and over again…

Diarmid: When the game is robust and responsive – you’ll be surprised how long you can play the game and try to be better.

Blair MacIntyre (from the audience): Robust and learn-able is what makes the game fun over time.

Question: Is there anything more you can tell us about the depth camera? Will it be available soon to consumers?

Diarmid: No.

The crowed bursts into loughs.

Blair (jumps in from the audience) There is a company called 3dv in Israel which offers such a camera. It’s not cheap or as good as discussed before, but you can get it.

Q: What’s special about camera games beyond novelty?

Diarmid: The 2 novel aspects of camera games are that it allows you to see yourself, and you can avoid the controller. Camera games are also great for multi-players.

Q: Is there a dream game you’d like to see?

Diarmid: Wow, that’s hard…I worked on a game before Sony called The Thing based on Carpenter’s movie. It was all about trust. The camera suddenly opens up the ability to play with that. When people see each other, the person to person interaction is very interesting and hasn’t been explored in games.

Q: will we see camera games on PSP?

Diarmid: there is a game in development, and I don’t know if I can talk about it…

Q: when I look in the mirror I am not so comfortable with what I see…how do you handle that?

Diarmid:  We flip the image. It’s hard to handle a ball, when just looking at the mirror.

And that’s a wrap! Standing ovation.

~~~

After party shots…

Wal-Mart Operator:

How may I direct your call?

mtvernon:

Umm…electronics? I’m looking for a video game.

Wal-Mart Operator:

Hold please.

mtvernon:

Thank you.

Wal-Mart Staffer I:

How can I help you.

mtvernon:

I’m looking for a PlayStation 3 game — actually it’s sort of a bundle. Comes with a camera. Eye of Judgement?

Wal-Mart Staffer I to Wal-Mart Staffer II:

We got I Am Legend?

mtvernon:

No, no — Eye of Judgement. For the PS3. It comes with a video camera?

Wal-Mart Staffer I:

I Am Legend?

mtvernon:

Nooo…EYE-OF-JUDGEMENT.

Wal-Mart Staffer I:

Eye of Judgement.

mtvernon:

Right. I heard you had it on clearance?

Wal-Mart Staffer I:

Hold, alright?

mtvernon:

Sure thing.

Wal-Mart Operator:

How can I help you?

mtvernon:

I was looking for a video game?

Wal-Mart Operator:

Hold please.

mtvernon:

Thanks.

Wal-Mart Staffer I:

Somebody bought that already.

mtvernon:

Thanks for your help.

After a lecture on Multimedia technologies (I’ve forgotten the title – well it was two weeks ago) we were asked to make predictions about what a piece of technology may end up in the future – the example being a projector that can track a moving surface (no, I’m not quite sure of the logic behind that either). Doesn’t exactly capture the imagination does it? Although the video of a digital whiteboard where the elements drawn reacted to gravity and other objects was very interesting, and reminded me of a game I stumbled across called Crayon Physics – which I’ve been meaing to blog for ages.

You can get the download the original (because he hasn’t got off his arse and finished the sequel yet) from the creator’s blog – PC only, I’ve yet to play it with a graphics tablet. It’s NOT the game featured in the video sadly, because that looks twice as fun as the original.

Then I remembered about a game I saw for the PS3 called Eye of Judgement (about the only good thing going for it if you ask me) – if you’ve ever watched an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh, and you’ll be very hard pressed to land on a episode without any duels in it, it works on a similar principle to the holographic duel systems from the show, except it uses a camera to track the cards on a 9×9 grid and ‘projects’ the monster that’s on the card on top so it looks like it’s stood on it (I see we’ve found a use for the tracking projector then). Better idea of what I mean in the video below.

Edit: Don’t want to spoil the end part.

Square-Enix are doing a similar thing for arcades called Lord of Vermillion, the machine for which look more like the original ones in Yu-Gi-Oh.

So what’s the future for this? It’s obvious – giant holographic monsters duking it out! I’ve played card games before (Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! to be exact) and it’s a tad anti-climatic – it’s basically maths. Project the cards onto a 3D holographic playing field and it become a lot more interesting. Previously this has only been done by superimposing the CG on the video afterwards – for example shows like Fight Box and Bamzookie (although I’m starting to wonder in the case of the latter) – the next step is a proper 3D projection that’s interactive.

¿De qué juego se tratará? ¿Una edición especial del futuro ‘Metal Gear Solid 4’? ¿Una versión de ‘Guitar Hero’ con guitarra de metal? Pues no, se trata ni más ni menos que de ‘Eye of Judgement’, el extraño híbrido entre videojuego y juego de cartas con el que Sony pretende demostrar el potencial de la sucesora de la cámara EyeToy para PlayStation 3, conocida como PlayStation Eye.

Y es que la versión europea de dicho juego cuesta ni más ni menos que… 100 euros, incluyendo la cámara en cuestión. ¿Caro? Pues lo es más aún si tenemos en cuenta que la versión americana vale 70 dólares (unos 48 euros al cambio) y que la PS3 es Region Free, así que no habría problema en importar dicho juego…

En fin, el caso es que el juego ha recibido muy buenas críticas por parte de los aficionados a este tipo de juegos de cartas, pero os corresponde a vosotros decidir si de verdad vale el precio que Sony pretende que paguemos por el mismo.

Vía | AnaitGames

So, my 40 gigabyte PlayStation 3 console will not play my PS2 games; well not today – but I’m sure this is possible given that other PS3 consoles use a software emulator that supported most PlayStation games from yesteryear.

From the CEO standing point they were up against the wall. The other desktop consoles were slaughtering PS3 upsell, so much so Sony have had two price-drops and put a holt on gamers buying cheaper PS2 games (no BC) while developers learn the new technology to unlock the power of the PS3.  Not much of a honeymoon period in the first quarter of the PS3 history-graph.

If cutting the cost was an objective for Sony perhaps they should have redesigned without BluRay? That said, BluRay can offer a lot more in the future.

BluRay fans will be pleased if the Profile 1.1 is rolled out to PS3 owners. The standard allows more functions to enhance the existing BluRay capabilities. Picture in picture is a pretty cool addition.

The PS3 games portfolio is looking-up today with the release of a cool 3-D board game “The Eye of Judgement”. The Eye of Judgement Game which includes a PS3 Eye Camera is a new concept in gaming, using trading cards brought to life in 3-D.

On the whole the PS3 package is far better value now. If you’re willing to pay for BC then don’t delay on getting a PS3 60GB Bundle – the stock is expected to dwindle before Christmas 2007.

The Playstation 3 hasn’t exactly enjoyed the world’s greatest library since its launch. A number of titles that fans were counting on to give them some much-needed value faltered, seemingly because of motion controls, time pressure, or both. Lair and Heavenly Sword arrived to much fanfare but little welcome, as they both were found to be overhyped and deeply-flawed games, moreso in the former than the latter.

In recent weeks, however, things seem to be picking up for the beleaguered Playstation stalwart. Folklore, Ratchet & Clank Future, and The Eye of Judgement have all landed on store shelves. Today, I take a look at Folklore, the fantasy action-RPG from Game Republic.

Folklore has the distinction of being the first real cult game for the PS3. This is not a game that everyone will like. I could best describe it as Fable’s Controls + Lewis Carroll’s gothic fantasy + Pokemon’s catch-em-all mentality.

Playing as either of the protagonists, Ellen or Keats, you are effectively swindled into traveling to the Netherworld, by way of a mysterious Irish town called Doolin. The game on the surface is effectively a detective story, talking to the denizens of the town and slowly unraveling the mysteries of its inhabitants. A good deal of the traditional “go to X location and get Y item” gameplay is used here, but it doesn’t hurt the pacing too much. Of course, the bulk of the game takes place after dark, when all manner of strange creatures come to town.

At night, Ellen and Keats take their parallel storylines into the Netherworld, having been imbued with special powers that allow them to travel to and from with ease. In the Netherworld, as you progress through the disappointingly linear levels, you collect Folks, twisted creatures born of human souls, through a surprisingly effective use of the SIXAXIS controller. When an enemy’s id, a sort of ghostly halo, flashes red, you can whip the controller back and take their powers for your own. The normal means of doing this works well, though some more complex Id absorptions require some slightly more finicky controller spazzery.

The game takes a lot of risks, which is something to be commended, however they don’t all work out for good. Almost all of the cutscenes are portrayed by an odd sort of animated graphic-novel interface, with speech bubbles appearing over the character’s heads. It is an interesting choice, and certainly a visible one, but one has to wonder why they opted for this seemingly archaic method of advancing the plot, when they not only have voice actors for a handful of traditional cutscenes, but an entire blu-ray disc to store audio on? Ultimately this choice hurts the story, making it seem far more dull than it really is. Simple dramatic voice overs, which the voice actors do plenty well during their few appearances, could have made the game that much better.

The combat itself leaves much to be desired, as well. The folk attacks are useful, but almost 100% of the game’s combat consists of rooms in which waves of enemies will spawn in, which then have to be dispatched before one can progress with the game. The rooms are separated sometimes by enemy-free corridors where you can heal, or, shocker of shockers, more enemy-filled rooms. The whole deal is very anticlimactic and linear to a fault. The game’s id-absorption mechanic is truly unique, but would have been put to far better use in an open-world environment, as opposed to the frankly boring button mashing dungeon crawl.

The game does have its strong points, most notably the art style. The dark, brooding environs of the Netherworld, as well as the fantastically-designed Folks are instantly appealing. The quality of the artistic presentation tells me that this game could have been far better than it is, and was likely troubled during development.

There are other notable features, of course. The dungeon building tool is interesting, and would most certainly be an attractive feature, were the end results not constrained by the game’s lackluster design. There is a level sharing element here, too, that allows you to upload your levels to the Playstation Network, receiving points for creating your own levels, and participating in other people’s levels.

At the end of the day, Folklore is an interesting, decent game. It isn’t buggy in any way, and there’s a lot there for people who want to go through it. If you own a Playstation 3, do yourself a favor and rent this one first.

Hey everyone, it seems like a few more retailers are getting EoJ in today, even though it’s still a bit spotty. I picked up a copy at Toys R Us right as they’d arrived in boxes, so that might be your best bet. And despite what one Gamestop employee told me (call back Saturday), they seemed to get some in, too.

As most stores are probably only getting in three or four copies, I’d make the trip down to your local store as soon as possible.

The cruddy part is that *nobody* seems to have the stand-alone booster packs or theme decks yet, which means you may have to settle for ordering them online for the time being.

I’ve only had a chance to play a couple rounds against the computer so far, but it’s just so frickin’ cool! If you’ve read any reviews yet, certainly some of the complaints they have are there, but I think they’re worth dealing with. People ask, “why even bother with the PS3/Eye if they don’t add anything but cool visuals? Why not just buy the cards?”

Well, because it’s the kind of experience you just can’t get anywhere else. There’s nothing else like it. It’s fun and immersive and you could honestly say the same thing about the way the Wii operates. I don’t see any reason beyond the price of entry *not* to get excited about Eye of Judgment’s unique features.

Anyway, regardless of what the technology may or may not offer, there’s tons of depth to the game that will make it playable for a long, long time to come. Mana’s always at a premium and after the first few rounds, you’re almost always in a state of “check” with your opponent (for the unfamiliar, you have to control 5 squares on the board by the end of a turn to win), which is when it gets the most exciting. Positioning and tile elements really make it stand out from your average collectible card game, too.

So go out and buy the game already! If EoJ does well, I’m sure other companies will start seeing the value of using the technology to create even more interesting uses of the camera, card/board game clones and beyond.

Seems like the Official Eye of Judgment Website came online today. It includes all sorts of things from instructions on how to play to more details on the universe, itself. Perhaps best of all, we finally get a full card list, so that you can start planning your deck in preparation for next week or looking for those ultra rare cards. What’s nifty is that it tells you what cards can be found in each of the pre-made elemental decks that are going to be sold, so if you’re looking into buying one of those, you’ll know what you’re going to get.