Apple announced today via short message on their site, that they will be publically opposing Proposition 8, and donating 100k to the �No on 8� campaign. If you don�t know what Proposition 8 is, it�s a bill seeking a change in California�s allowance of same-sex marriage. A "no" vote on the measure means marriages between same-sex couples would still be permitted in California.

�Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees� same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person�s fundamental rights � including the right to marry � should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.�




I know this is potentially flamebait, but I�m just happy to see Apple reaching for a cause, no matter how politically motivated it probably is. I think everyone should have equal rights, and I�m sorry this really doesn�t have much to do with gaming.

Part one of my two-part look at gaming giant Electronic Arts: first, the positive

Okay, so the title is a bit misleading, we�re all still allowed to hate on EA. I mean, fuck them right? How dare they improve NHL 09 to be one of the best sports game ever made, how could they have the audacity to publish Dead Space, Mirror�s Edge, Left for Dead and Rock Band 2, in the same year? Could it be that the all-powerful EA might actually be trying?




Let�s recap some of the good things they have done these past few years.

-Skate was a breath of fresh air and made me remember skateboarding games used to be fun. Skate 2 looks even better, as you can finally get off your board, re arrange objects to set up good lines, and they promised to make vert tricks actually, you know, work.




-NHL 09 is almost without question, the best hockey game since NHL 94, in my opinion best sports game of all time, it�s really that brilliant.




-This year alone, they will have their names on Dead Space, Mirror�s Edge, Left for Dead and Rock Band 2. Huge holiday games and I�m sure it will show in their pocketbooks.


-They seem to have stayed away from the ridiculous DLC they once tried to spit out. I�m sure they still charge for silly micro transactions, but remember �The Godfather�? They were charging real money for in game profits, that�s retarded.


-Burnout Paradise is an example of DLC done right. Unlike Microsoft which FORCED Epic to charge for the Gears DLC, they let Criterion release free updates (which are significant) to their open world driving game.




Overall they seem to be changing their image a bit. They have a long way to go before the can erase the harm that has been done to their image but, it�s good to see them trying.

Today AMD showed off a new graphics chip that is, well...very powerful. Here's the press release, that doesn't use hyperbole at all /sarcasm.


“With Cinema 2.0 you won’t just play movies, you’ll play in them. Imagine the ability to look around the environments in a sci-fi movie, put yourself in the driver’s seat in a race scene, duck behind things and pop up to see what’s going on in an intense firefight – all of these things are possible with Cinema 2.0,” said Charlie Boswell, director, Digital Media & Entertainment, AMD. “The challenge for any director has always been taking a wonderful vision in the canvas of the mind and translating that to film for the audience to see. Cinema 2.0 breaks down the time and cost barriers of getting a scene or shot that’s ‘just right’, and what’s better, allows audiences to dive deeper into the experience to explore every part of that director’s vision.”



“Today’s demonstration of Cinema 2.0 represents a sip from the multi-billion dollar gaming industry’s Holy Grail, while presenting a new quest to digital filmmakers,” said Richard Huddy, worldwide developer relations manager, AMD Graphics Product Group. “Imagine going to the opening of a movie and upon getting home being able to play a game that looks and feels absolutely identical – right down to the character models and sets.”

“The Cinema 2.0 milestone is comparable to other major evolutions of film: sound, color, cinemascope, 70mm, THX, stereoscopic 3D, IMAX, and the like,” said Jules Urbach, founder and CEO, Jules World LLC, OTOY. “Cinema 2.0 means truly interactive cinema, where the experience of watching a film is bridged perfectly with real-time rendering for a potentially dynamic and engaging experience. The cornerstone of this is not limiting the artistic process, and AMD innovation now makes that possible. Today AMD and OTOY demonstrated the ability to complete cinematic compositions in the real-time interactive realm, and that is a giant leap toward rapidly creating a new art form and experience.”


Watch the Video here

I'll start by saying hello, my name is Keith, aka The Awkward Mongoose. It's taken me a while to join the party, but better late than never right?

I've been reading Destructoid religiously almost since it's inception, it's a refreshing place filled with tons of interesting people, trustworthy gaming news and great Podcasts. I feel like RetroforceGO! is something everyone should be listening to, because it's great to either hear about the classic games you love, or be informed on gems you may have missed. This is not to mention it will have you laughing almost the entire time.


This brings me to where I'm going with this post. I'm not going to talk about my first system (Sega Genesis) or the first game I fell in love with (Chrono Trigger/Turtles in Time) but rather talk about the point in my life where video games grew to something much more than something I enjoyed regularly.


I've played games the majority of my life, in fact, I can't remember NOT playing video games. I played Sonic and Dynamite Headdy until my eyes hurt. I spent more time with Chrono Trigger than with my real friends, faked sick to stay home and beat it. I used to bet my allowance money with my dad's friends, challenging them to races in "Top Gear".


The thing is, I have never cared about gaming as much as I do right now, because of sites like Destructoid, podcasts like RetroForceGo! and Podtoid, and the amazing gaming figures like The GameJew, Mega64 and Penny Arcade/Ctrl+Alt+Delete. I was thinking to myself the other day, "I spend more time reading about games than playing them". But is that a bad thing? I don't think it is, I mean...I love being here.


Now some back story, I generally refer to the ps2 era as my downtime in gaming. Yes, of course I still played mine, often...but it wasn't the same. Even though I played one of my favourite games of all time, Silent Hill 2, and many other classics, my passion was not there.


First time through, I never payed attention to Ico, God of War 1 and 2, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, and the list goes on. (I didn't own the original Xbox either, so if anyone has any suggestions on games I should get and play on my 360, thank you.) At the time I felt disconnected to the gaming world. I had long since stopped subscribing to Nintendo power, was annoyed by the fanboyism in OXM and PSM, and basically I just lost my knowledge of the current generation of games.

Once I started frequenting the more mainstream videogame sites like IGN, Gametrailers and Gamespot, the fire was reignited. Then, I stumbled upon Destructoid, and it was on like never before. I took out a loan and bought an Xbox 360, HD monitor, and a pile of games. I bought a DS lite and *not* an R4 to *not* play every single game I could get my grubby little hands on. I went back to my parent's house and dug out my Dreamcast and ordered a bunch of games online.

I want to start blogging more, and maybe joining in on some Friday night Fights with you guys. Thank you Dtoid, as you have been The Start of my Affair.