E3 2010 Is Going To Be Big

Every year in the Los Angeles Convention Center, there is a massive show dedicated to video games. From June 15th to the 17th, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3) returns to its annual vacation home, and along with it comes a colossal tidal wave of news about everything games.

While E3's past have been pretty epic in scale, this year could be a big turning point. Sony is bringing a huge arsenal of PS3 exclusive games and a brand new Wiimote-esque peripheral called the PlayStation Move. There are also heavy rumors going around that the PS3 will have a new premium online service like Xbox Live to compliment their current free service. Microsoft is expected to finally announce details of its new motion camera technology Project Natal that will make their Xbox 360 an almost entirely controller-free system. On top of that Microsoft is bringing some major games including this one little game you may have heard about....Halo: Reach. And finally we have Nintendo who is not only showcasing new Legend of Zelda and Metroid games for their popular Wii, but they are also announcing the first details of the successor to their massively popular DS system, dubbed the 3DS due to its touted 3D gaming abilities.

Both the PlayStation Move and the Xbox 360's Project Natal are big gambles from Sony and Microsoft's traditionally controller-only gaming systems. The Move is meant to mimic the Wii but allows for a much greater precision in movement (almost 1:1) while Natal is a completely hands-free approach to gaming that detects a person's body and translates their movements into controls for a game.

This year is going to be quite exciting, so head on over to Joystiq on Monday for their comprehensive E3 2010 coverage!

Is Sony Making a Mistake with the PSP Go, Or Is It a Blessing In Disguise?

A lot of people on the internet seem to think so.

For those unaware, Sony is poised to launch a revitalized version of their PlayStation Portable system called the "PSP Go!" this week and former PSP owners are none too happy about this new hardware. Gamers are usually thrilled to see a new version of a game console, so why are they so hostile this time around?

Well it's because the Go! is a fully download-only device now and no longer supports Sony's proprietary UMD format. To put things simply: people who bought games for the old version of the PSP can't use those on the new system.

To make matters worse, Sony also has no plans to let people trade in their old discs for a download code for the same games. That leaves old PSP owners deciding if they want to ditch the games they already bought and pick up the new system or stick with their old system that lacks some of the improvements such as a 16GB hard drive, built-in Bluetooth, and sliding screen. Obviously the PSP Go! isn't exactly what gamers wanted from Sony, but the company is not being as heartless as it may seem. The old PSP that supports UMDs will still be sold alongside the Go! and UMDs will still be sold in stores. The only issue with the revamped portable is that users who wanted to upgrade are out left in the cold.

But is anyone in a position to complain about the Go? Ever since the system was revealed in Summer, the platform has seemingly broken out of its slump with a slate of many high quality games being released. Such highly anticipated games includes Gran Turismo, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, SOCOM, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and many more.

With the release of the PSP Go also comes a full-on relaunch of a platform that earlier this year was dying a slow death. Also announced is the Minis program for the portable PlayStation which is essentially Sony's version of the App Store.

So while gamers may complain for now, I see the release of the Go! as a good sign for the platform as a whole. Developers are more interested in making games for the system again and Sony gets to advertise the crap out of this without much competition from Apple or Nintendo. In the long term, Sony is making a smart move and I applaud them for that.

'Batman: Arkham Asylum' Looks Like Pure Amounts of Win [Quick Word]

...I think the trailer speaks for itself.

=============================================================
'Quick Word' is a new segment to be featured on OGCF* where
I quickly comment on current events. Of course the heavy lifting
is done by the real news sites, but in these articles I offer my own
two cents on the matter. In a nutshell, it's a glorified tweet.
=============================================================

The Effects of Burnout Paradise: A Pictured Story

Before










After

Yeah.

I'm having waaaaaaaaay too much fun with this game.

The Joys of Batsh*t Insanity While Driving in Paradise City

Just recently got The Ultimate Box version for my PC. I have never had so much fun with a racing game in my entire life. And Paradise City is so well designed, I would almost prefer it to real life.

That is, if I were a car.

...nah I'd still prefer it!

Welcome to One Giant Clusterf*ck! [Updated!]

Hello, nobody! Welcome to the brand-spankin' new blog "One Giant Clusterf*ck"!

My name is Saad Hashmi. I'm currently living in Bahrain, but I was born in Maryland and stayed there for several years. Then, I moved out to sun-in-the-fun California for about the same amount of time before coming to this country no one has ever heard of last year (2008).

Because of that brand-spankin' new part of this blog, I figure basically no one will be reading this until I can get the word out that this site exists. But I'm thinking forward on this one and decided to take care of the introduction from the get-go.

So...What Is This Blog?

I'm glad I asked! Basically, this blog is true to its name; it really is one giant clusterf*ck. Here I'll be writing about anything and everything that catches my interest, piques my curiosity, or just makes me laugh like a diabolical mad genius. Whatever it is, it will be on here to share with the internet's cruel, cynical inhabitants.

However, this will not be actively working as my personal diary or anything. I may talk about personal things, but honestly I'm doing this as a test run to see if my writing styles can appeal to any kind of audience. Like most of my projects, I'm sure this will end fairly soon and I may go out on an eating spree to ease the uncontrollable, haunting pain but this is my first real blog so I will give it my best shot. That's a guarantee of two weeks minimum!

What Type Of Content Will Be On This Blog?

Like I mentioned before, a lot of different types of things will be posted here. Some more specific examples are:

• Reviews of all kinds of media (movies, TV shows, games, and music)
• Lots of video and music-related posts are pretty much a given
• Special weekly articles
• Sharing ideas and peeks at my own stabs at fiction through "creative" writing
• Anything else I write off of a sugar high/study low

Will The Blog At Least Look Creative Too?

Well I am not very proficient in Photoshop and other image editing software, but I will over the next few days and weeks try to add a creative look to match the kind of content found on Clusterf*ck.

[Update]: Well I no longer am in possession of one of the stock Blogger themes. For now I shall be using the Forte theme which I found on BTemplates.com. Looks pretty good, right?

***

Well for now that's about it for introductions. I already have some articles lined up to be posted here (before the birth of OGCF, OpenOffice was my "blog") as to make up for lost time and give an immediate impression to anyone who would actually bother reading this blog.

Of course you can find me on social network sites like:

• MySpace
• Facebook
• Twitter

To the future of "One Giant Clusterf*ck"! May its promise seem slightly less bleak than it does right now! Huzzah!