proto-warrior

According to a popular gaming music website, a reliable source has relayed the main theme of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess from a Nintendo Kiosk that showcased the game. As far as I can see, it seems to be legit. The music can be found here for your listening pleasure. It sounds much like a mix of the overworld themes for Ocarina of Time and Windwaker with a bit of the classic overworld theme as well. I kid, I kid! In fact, I actually like it quite well. That flute just seems to be a bit too prominent is all. Still, even if it does not change before release, I will be well satisfied. Also, keep in mind that this is likely just the "base" theme. Presumably, the music will cinematically change with what is going on on-screen.

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I'm not saying it isn't going to be really popular in the states, it's just that I have a hard time believing it will reach the level of fandom that Japan will have. An example of this would be the DS. Sure, tons of people in the U.S. love it (myself included), but it hasn't quite reached the level of "everyone has one" that Japan seems to have. Just like giant robots.

Today, September 14, gamers around the globe watched with anticipation as Nintendo announced what is assumed to be the final secrets of their enigmatic, motion-controlled console, Wii, at special Nintendo-only events in Japan and New York. Being a stalwart Nintendo fan myself, I have been glued to my computer in wait for every bit of news I could soak up. Unfortunately, not all of the news is good. Nonetheless, I feel there were several promising parts of the event which have made me anticipate Wii all the more. I present to you, the reader, my list of pros and cons of the Nintendo conference. Let’s get the bad parts over with first. Cons: Fact: Wii will arrive stateside with a price of $249.99. I Say: After announcing the price of Wii to be “less than $250,” (read by most many zealous fans as “$200 - $230) Nintendo has decided to go with the very maximum price possible within that limit. Although, keep in mind that the package includes the game Wii Sports, a compilation of five straightforward motion-controlled sports games. Despite this, I still think the price is a bit steep. Fact: The Wii bundle will include only one remote and nunchuck. Additional remotes and nunchucks will be sold separately for $39.99 and $19.99, respectively. I Say: Having to pay a total of $310 for the system and a practically essential pair of complete controllers isn’t looking all that economic anymore. Though, fanboy that I am, I’m sure I’ll still buy them. An aside: I know Nintendo is apparently trying to encourage players to bring their controllers to their friends’ houses and play on their Wii (after all, the remote has been shown to be able to store and transport player information), but America isn’t like Japan. Wii is not likely to become the household name that it almost certainly will be in Japan. Therefore, I have my doubts about the ease of finding a friend with a Wii. Just have to wait and see, I guess. Fact: Wii launches on Nov. 19, 2 days after the PS3 (Nov. 17). I Say: I can’t understand why they would choose to launch after Sony. Merely a few days sooner could have given them a tremendous edge. I had been under the mistaken belief that the Wii nearly ready for launch. Some even speculated that Nintendo might pull an “Apple” -- where the company releases the product within a week or so of announcing its release date. I wonder, why so late? Which brings me to my next point… Fact: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii will launch with the Wii on November November 19; the GameCube version will follow on December 11. I Say: According to my sources (half-crazed members of message boards are a reliable source, right?), the GCN version of TP was completed some time ago and was merely delayed so as to coincide with the release of the Wii version and the Wii itself. Nonetheless, Nintendo has chosen to delay the GCN version until after the release of the Wii version. Honestly, I can’t see why they would do this. Some speculate that it is an attempt to force gamers to buy a Wii to play the much anticipated title. I, however, simply can’t accept that Nintendo would be that under-handed. Oddly enough, I almost hope it was a problem with the game that caused its delay (as opposed to a more devious reason). Now that those are out of the way, on to the good stuff! Pros: Fact: Wii will include an impressive digital infrastructure divided into various “channels.” Some of the channels included are Forecast Channel, A free weather service; Internet Channel, where you surf the internet; Wii Message Board, whereDisc Channel, where you play your various game discs; and Virtual Console Channel, where you will be able to download retro classics like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and more. I Say: This feature seems pretty promising. A strong online program has always been lacking from Nintendo’s consoles, and this, coupled with the “always on” service of WiiConnect24, may just be the solution we’ve been waiting for. Fact: Metroid Prime 3 has been drastically improved -- according to IGN editor Matt Casamassina, at least. The editor had been dissatisfied with the games controls back at E3, but after being instructed to adjust the sensitivity of the remote’s pointer, the renowned editor was, for the first time, truly smitten with the title. I Say: Thank goodness someone finally got FPS controls nailed down! Let’s hope Red Steel can do the same. Fact (sorta): Details are unclear, but I hear Nintendo President Satoru Iwata mentioned something to the effect of “If you play Twilight Princess for six hours everyday, you will still only be scratching the surface. I Say: Holy cow… Admittedly, that quote doesn’t make all that much sense (for how many days?), but I think the meaning is understood. Anyway, sure there was some bad news, but I still think the Wii is going to blow us away. Comments?

Is it even possible to unfreeze oneself on a planet (sorry, dwarf planet) whose frozen atmosphere coats its own surface? Although, I suppose Pluto's terraforming will have finished by the time you awaken, eh? Anyway, I have a feeling this ruling will not last long. Judging by what I read, there seem to be a lot of astronomers angry about the ruling: I could be wrong, but I'd put my money on the possibilty of this whole "Dwarf Planet" business going up in smoke.

You heard it right -- Pluto is, for the time being, no longer considered a planet. Instead, it has become part of a new group of astronomical objects known as Dwarf Planets. The full story can be found here. Needless to say, the dissenters are a many. I'm not necessarily for or against either ruling on the matter of our little icy friend, however. Its all just semantics in my opinion. Nonetheless, you have to wonder. They totally ruined the good old acronym "My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies." What will the mother be serving now, International Astronomical Union? Noodles? I think not. You're on notice.[/colbert] Usage of Leet- the same rules that apply to text also apply to images. Image removed. -Tufi Edit: Sorry, Tufi. I had thought the leet I used was commonplace enough to be acceptable. Still, I see where you're coming from. My apologies.

You seem to be at least half right. The pink and white shapes in between the squares appear to be causing the illusion. However, the shapes are, in fact, identical to each other in shape, as you will note in this picture: Notice how the shapes' pixels are stretched toward the left side of the picture? I would guess this is responsible for the illusion. Additionally, you may note that the colors of the small, irregular shapes actually do have a pattern. A full horizontal, left-to-right sequence in the pattern consists of white, pink, white, white, pink, white, pink, pink. This pattern can be seen here: As we move up each row, the pattern shifts one space to the left. Interestingly, a similar pattern also applies to the vertical arrangment as well. Honestly, I don't know if these things are relevent to how the illusion works, but I personally would put my money on the irregular shape of the little pink and white things. They seem to cause the squares to visibly shift over, making the image appear wavy. Or it could be magic.

A blog post proper is coming soon (I swear!), but until then, enjoy the migraine that this image gives you: "Trippy" is the only word that can appropriately describe it. It isn't moving -- the image is totally static. Apparently, all that disorder is caused by a slight curve in the rows of squares. I guess the human brain has a hard time interpreting something as subtle as that. Ain't optical illusions grand?

This is one of my favorite things I've seen on the Net. Taken from Wikipedia: Although this isn't all that cutting edge (the prototype was made in 2003), I still can't get over how freakishly cool this technology is. Despite not being all that complex of an idea, it obviously has an incredible allure to it. Yes, it's real. The full collection of videos can be found here.

Welcome to Fatal Error, the official blog of BZPower member proto-warrior! In this blog, I will primarily focus on subjects such as cutting-edge science, science fiction novels and movies, video games and their impact on modern-day culture, and Anime -- in other words, all the things that will get you labeled as a nerd in school. Additionally, I ask you to please sit through my occasional ramblings about my everyday life and the like. I will try my best to update this blog as often as possible (every day or so); however, there will be times without much activity... So without further ado, let us begin!