ifirit

Any of the main protagonists from the 4 main games. SH1 - Harry SH2 - James SH3 - Heather SH4 - Henry The main antagonists would be cool, too. SH1 - Dahlia SH2 - Red Pyramid Thing SH3 - Claudia SH4 - Walter Personally, I'd want a Jasper Geins avatar (SH4) to go with my whole fire motif.

There's already a new format in production, Holographic Versatile Discs. And this cycle will probably happen sooner than you might expect with the introduction of ultra high definition. I agree with that, but more as a consequence of these kinds of media struggles. People will likely look for something easier and more versatile, such as downloadable content through established distributors, than choosing to invest in some format or whatever that might not even be supported in a year or less. Of course, these kinds of format wars could eventually spread there too, such as .mpg/.avi vs. .mp4/.mov formats. Still, it's easier to get a compatible player than it is to replace your entire video collection.

Well, I'm not sure what to do right now, since my PC of 6 years just kicked the bucket. Although I could purchase a system with Window XP on it, I'm not sure that I'll be able to find one by the time I've saved enough more for one. I wonder if the prophet of mephisto will still be capable of building one with XP, or should I just go two years without a computer? Alternatives, anyone?

Silent Hill: Homecoming Update: Man!ac Magazine features Review of Expanded Silent Hill: Homecoming Demo: In addition to the announcement of Silent Hill: Homecoming on April 21, 2008, Konami Digital Entertainment released an expanded demo of the game to a select few in the gaming press, among which was German gaming magazine Man!ac who featured Silent Hill: Homecoming as the cover story in their June 2008 issue. The column provided a review and images from the game, as well as a 9-minute montage* (8 minutes and 41 seconds) of scenes from the demo. This demo of Silent Hill: Homecoming, which includes material from the first demo of SHV released after E3 of 2007, also features the introduction of the main storyline, the exploration of the town (presumably Shepard's Glen), the first enemy encounters and early cutscenes.** The article features an explanation of the demo noting the specific changes made to the game, including the expanded gameplay mechanics, new storyline delivery system, the declining difficulty of puzzles, and graphical and sound improvements.** Among the changes made to the gameplay are the inclusion of more responsive and sensitive reaction mechanics, executed as blocking and dodging which is time and context sensitive. The story delivery system now allows players to direct the narrative with multiple choice prompts, however, as to how it correlates into story and ending interactivity is yet to be explaned. (See next article below.) A translation of the article (created by nur_ein_tier) is posted below: Man!ac Magazine SilentHill5.net - Forums - German Magazine-Preview (Link contains video file, [.mpg file / 86.0 MB]; article scans, [.jpeg file / 2.74 MB] ) *Footnote: The montage is actually 6 minutes (0:00 - 5:53) of retrospective and 2 and 3/4 minutes of new footage (5:54 - 8:41). (Personal Note: Why the hell is the introductory level set in Alchemilla Hospital?! Dead horse? Beaten!) **Footnote: What appears most striking about the new demo are the changes made to the character models, which look to still be in the initial designs phases. The character models have minimal facial animations; the hair and clothing are not as detailed as the later version of the same demo (released on Konami's Gamers Night 2008 ); and the environments are sparsely decorated.

I've made reservations for two 2-Double Bed rooms at the 21c Museum Hotel. I haven't received the room locations yet, but our current room assignments are: Room 1 - (big giant circles, tweek, Audix +1), Room 2: (Sinewav, Nekofrog +1, ifirit). The cost per room is $159.00 as originally stated, meaning that the cost per person is $39.75. Again, the pay-by date for the hotel room is Wednesday, July 16, 2008. I've set up a PayPal page as well, which is listed below. PayPal Page for Hotel Rooms at 21c Museum Hotel Currently, our information is as follows: Attendees|Transportation|Hotel: ____||OCR T-Shirt (Wearing)|OCR T-Shirt (Purchase)|Dark Knight|Helping Mr. Tallarico| BGC ______||Yes ___________||Yes _______||Yes (Black?)__________||No (Selling)___________||Yes_________||Yes _________________|| tweek ____||Yes ___________||Yes _______||? ____________________||? _____________________||? __________||? ___________________|| Audix +1 _||Yes ___________||Yes _______||No ___________________||Yes ___________________||Yes ________||Yes _________________|| Nekofrog+1||Yes (Pending) _||Yes _______||? ____________________||? _____________________||Yes ________||? ___________________|| Sinewav __||Yes ___________||Yes _______||Yes (Black) __________||Pending _______________||Hell, Yes __||Yes _________________|| dPaladin _||Yes ___________||No (Pending)|No ___________________||Yes ___________________||Yes ________||Yes _________________|| ifirit ___||Yes ___________||Yes _______||Yes (Jersey) _________||Yes ___________________||Yes ________||Yes _________________|| I'm still missing a couple of pieces of information, but all I need for the moment is information regarding T-shirt purchases and providing help for Tommy Tallarico at VGL for BGC's benefit. Let me know if there's anything else I'm missing or feel I should provide. I'll post information about in-town travel later.

You could always do a ReMix; that seems the obvious answer in letting composers know how much you appreciate their music on this site. I'm sure Jeremy Soule would hear it if it were posted. Also, I doubt anyone would want to receive emails from strangers that read, "OMGGGG!!1!1 i totally <3 U SO MUCH!!1!!" regardless of how sincere they were. Additionally, OCR already posts the composers' personal website, which has their contant information, including their email addresses. No need to spread these composers email addresses across the forums. Anyway, Jeremy Soule's webpage is here.

That's great to hear that you're trying something different. As far as engaging goes, an interesting and thought-provoking story is a good start. (Of course that's easier said than done.) Anyway, good luck with the project.

Microsoft developed a game for PC in 1995 called AnnaTommy: An Adventure into the Human Body, a Fantastic Voyage styled video game for children, published by IVI Publishing, Inc. The game is still readily available and usually for under $5. It consisted of educating children about the human body as a whole, sectioning the game into the different systems of the body, i. e. nervous system, vascular system, etc. Each system was explained with a short introduction followed by a mini-game that had players completing a task normally carried out by the body, such as breaking up blood platlets, collecting oxygen molecules for blood cells, etc. I can't quite remember the task for the immune system, though I think it involved destroying contaminants with your ship's cannon. It wasn't particularly deep or lengthy, but did stimulate my interest enough in the subject. After looking at that Immune Attack site, it actually did remind me of AnnaTommy, but it was solely a 2-D game, and not a 3-D one. As far as I can see, there really isn't a great deal of video games geared toward the human immune system. Still, of those that are available, they seem to share the common thread of acting out the immune system's tasks by having shrunken spaceships shooting foreign objects at a microscopic level. This approach seems a bit oxymoronic and is definitely a little cliche'. Hope your idea is something more original and engaging.

PLAY! is very much about presenting game music as a serious form of art. While the behavior of the majority of people who attend these concerts (i.e. gamernerds) tend to bump this down a notch, it's still a great concert with an emphasis on playing truly outstanding and memorable selections and presenting them with lots of colorful arrangement, well for orchestral music anyway. Of course, since PLAY! only uses local symphonies, the quality of the concert depends on the quality of your area's symphony. VGL on the other hand, seems to be more focused on the overall sensory presentation, as its name implies. While I won't go so far as to say that it panders to its target audience (again gamernerds), they do know how to give people what they want. It's still no less a great experience with lots of style and energy that you might not see at a PLAY! concert. Personally, I like PLAY! because there's a great emphasis on substance and on the music itself that tends to remind me of the way OCR artists approach VG arrangements.

I'll make reservations for 2 Double Bed rooms at the 21c Museum Hotel online on Monday. Paypal page will also be set up at that time. And I have no problem with letting dPaladin crash on the floor. I'll bring my sleeping bag, just in case. But, if you'll be leaving the next day with the rest of us (and since you live in the Louisville area anyway), I see no reason why we couldn't give you a ride. There's no need for you to walk eight miles home, even after taking a bus ride part of the way there. As far as helping out Tommy Talarico with VGL, I'm in. I'll be getting there early to make sure everything at the hotel is taken care of, anyway. I'm also still up for going to see Batman: The Dark Knight. And so far, there haven't been any naysayers. Also, I'm going to be really REALLY awesome and wear my oldschool jersey with the purple sleeves. But, since I haven't purchased the new (and sleeker) black Tee yet, I'm willing to purchase one at the concert. Attendees: || OCR T-Shirt (Wearing): || OCR T-Shirt (Purchase): || Dark Knight: || Helping Mr. Talarico: || BGC ______ || Yes (Black?)__________ || No (Selling)___________ || Yes_________ || Yes _________________ || tweek ____ || ? ____________________ || ? _____________________ || ? __________ || ? ___________________ || Audix +1 _ || No ___________________ || Yes ___________________ || Yes ________ || Yes _________________ || Nekofrog +1|| ? ____________________ || ? _____________________ || Yes ________ || ? ___________________ || Sinewav __ || Yes (Black) __________ || Pending _______________ || Hell, Yes __ || Yes _________________ || dPaladin _ || ? ____________________ || Yes ___________________ || ? __________ || Yes _________________ || ifirit ___ || Yes (Jersey) _________ || Yes ___________________ || Yes ________ || Yes _________________ ||

Alright, since I've not received a notice or payment from darkman40522, I've gone ahead and purchased the tickets for the concert. Our seats are in the Orchestra Section (AA - S): Row H, Seats 12 -20. That's one of the rows in the middle of this section (but closer to the stage) with seats just left of center stage. I'll be receiving the tickets by mail in 2-3 days. Again, I'll be holding on to these tickets until the day of the meet-up. However, if you would like me to send you your ticket(s), please let me know via PM. I've updated our list of attendees and travel information here: Attendees: || Transportation: || Hotel: ____ || Hotel Choice: || BGC ______ || Yes ___________ || Yes _______ || No Preference || tweek _____|| Yes ___________ || Yes _______ || No Preference || Audix +1 _ || Yes ___________ || Yes _______ || No Preference || Nekofrog +1|| Yes (Pending) _ || Yes _______ || (2) 21c Museum Hotel || Sinewav __ || Yes ___________ || Yes _______ || (2) 21c Museum Hotel || dPaladin _ || Yes ___________ || No (Pending)|| N/A || ifirit ___ || Yes ___________ || Yes _______ || (2) 21c Museum Hotel || It looks like there will be a total of 8 people who are looking to share a hotel room. Four of us prefer the 21c Museum Hotel, with four having no preference other than staying at the same hotel. I suggest that we get 2 double bed rooms (four people per room). I'll plan to have BGC, tweek, Audix and his friend stay in one room, since they've requested this arrangement, and Sinewav, Nekofrog, his girlfriend and myself in the other. If this arrangement is too much of a problem, would it okay with everyone to allow us to switch people? Since I've already stated that I'll leave the deadline to decide on the hotel for next Monday, I won't make any plans right now. We still have time to sort things out. Let me know if there's anything else that I'll need to consider.

Alright, guys! I've received payments from everyone except one person, darkman40228. Since he's only posted here once, I'm not really sure he'll still be attending. But to be fair, I'm going to leave the window open until 5pm E.S.T. today (when the banks close). After that I'm going to go ahead and buy the tickets for everyone. I'll hold on to everyone's tickets until the day of the concert/meet-up. However, if you would like me to mail your ticket to you, please let me know. Current Attendees: BGC tweek Audix + 1 Nekofrog + 1 Sinewav dPaladin ifirit A total of 9 people, so far. Looks like this is going to turn out to be a great meet-up, people. Also, I still need to know who needs/is willing to share a hotel room in Louisville and which hotel you'd prefer. Additionally, if you need transportation to Louisville, let me know as well. Attendees: || Transportation: || Hotel: || Hotel Choice: || BGC ______ || Yes || Yes || No Preference || tweek _____ || Yes || Yes || No Preference || Audix + 1 __ || Yes || Yes || No Preference || Nekofrog + 1 || Yes (Pending) || Yes || (2) 21c Museum Hotel || Sinewav ___ || Yes || Yes || (2) 21c Museum Hotel || dPaladin ___ || Yes || No || N/A || ifirit _______ || Yes || Yes || (2) 21c Museum Hotel || I'll set the deadline for choosing a hotel for Monday, June 23, 2008, one week from now. I'll reserve the hotel under my credit card. At that time, I'll set-up a Paypal page as well for the hotel and set the payment deadline for Wednesday, July 16, 2008, two days before the meet-up, in case we need to cancel the reservation for some reason.

There's only two days left before I purchase tickets for VGL. If you want to sit with the group, then make sure you send in your money via the Paypal page in the first post. Also, it may be unclear how I determined the hotels costs, as Audix pointed out to me. The costs that I posted above are based on four people sharing the hotel room together, since that is the largest room that you can reserve online. If there are more than 4 people willing to share the room, then individually the cost will be less. If there are fewer than 4 people willing to share a hotel room, then I can provide information about smaller rooms, which may or may not be cheaper. However, considering the number of people who have already expressed an interest in sharing a hotel room, I'm not expecting this to happen. I also highly suggest that as many people carpool that can, which is why I offered to co-ordinate rides for people, especially considering that gas prices are expected to reach $6 per gallon by mid-July. As such, I'm currently planning on the group using the various Louisville public transits to get around town, considering how cheap and convenient it is in the downtown area. I'll post those transportation options after I've purchased everyone's tickets on Monday.

Avatars need more Silent Hill love. (Yeah, Maria's great, but Eccles has been using it for years. I want something else.)

Dude, that stuff is hot, hot , hot! Awesome to see some Soul Blazer stuff appearing here again. That's just great. I really don't have any criticism, only praise. Submit that stuff man, it's sweet. Love the style and textures. The ending section before the fade-out gets somewhat repetitive, but it's addictive. Also, what's the title mean anyway?

You can always post your links over at the OCR WIPs: Non-ReMixes forum, and add links to the thread in your signature for publicity. Of course, since Mr. Aversa was the one to suggest it, according to the forum rules, only posted ReMixers are allowed to post their non-OCR projects in the Community Forum. (Though this seems to apply to music projects only, I think it applies in this case of incidental music not attached to a specific project.) However, if you're looking for a host for your music, you can always ask a few of the other forum members for hosting. Doulifée and Reminiscence have been known to help out people from time to time. Just remember that if it's not a Video Game Rearrangement, it's not going to be hosted on OCReMix.

Silent Hill: Homecoming Update: Foundation 9 Entertainment Unveils New Studio Double Helix: On March 27, 2008 Foundation 9 Entertainment unveiled their new game-production studio, Double Helix Games, which is a merger between two F9E's largest game-production studios, The Collective, Inc. and Shiny Entertainment. Foundation 9 Entertainment released this press statement regarding the merger, which began on October 9, 2007. Foundation 9 Entertainment also appointed Michael "Saxs" Persson, former studio manager for Shiny Entertainment's development team (who were then working on the game version of The Golden Compass published by Sega), as the head of Double Helix Games. The new studio will focus on the large-scale production of various licensed titles, including the latest Silent Hill game for the PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Foundation 9 Entertainment also stated: Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH - United Kingdom Branch - News GameIndustry.biz - News - Silent Hill: Homecoming *Footnote: While this announcement at first seemed like an announcement for a new title altogether, reading the premise and other information showed that this was the same game as SHV. Additionally, SHV was never actually announced in Europe, or more precisely outside North America, until this press release. (Personal Note: I think that Konami decided to make this press release in Europe to save face from having to admit a retitle for the North American market. As such, you'll notice that at the Konami Gamers Night 2008 event everyone acts as though that's what the game has always been called. )

Okay, I've searched around for hotels, in-town transportation and movie theaters. I've tried to co-ordinate things to be as simple as possible, but I've left a lot of room for adjustments. After looking into the idea of using a hotel shuttle for in-town transporation, this is what I've found. The hotels only offer direct shuttle service to the airport and Six Flags from 6am to 11pm. After 11pm, pick-up service is available to these hotels, but drop-off service is not available. This means that while we could get a shuttle to take us back to the hotel after the concert, travel to the concert and afterwards is not available from the hotels. Additionally, the majority of the hotels that offer shuttle service are located near the airport, which is 15 miles away from the downtown area, where the concert is being held. So, here's the plan. Since shuttle service from the hotel to the concert and movie theater, restaurants, etc. is not available at the times we need it I'm thinking that it be better to look for a hotel in the immediate area of the Kentucky Theater for the Performing Arts. We could meet there, get food from the tons of restaurants in the downtown area and then walk over the concert. After the concert, those who want to return to the hotel can, those who want to go to the movie theater can take the bus, taxi, trolley, or drive to the movie theater and there's no pressure to follow the group. Things can remain informal and relaxed. Since the closest movie theater is located on Bardstown Rd. as are the majority of other attractions, we can also go there to eat after the concert. Those who are 21 can head to the bars in the area after the movie as well. I've narrowed my choice of hotels in the immediate area of the concert hall (less than 5 blocks away) to these four: 1) Galt House Hotel 140 North Fourth Street (1.5 blocks away) $121.50 per night (4 person room, $30.38 per person) Description: A very traditional, upscale hotel endorsed by Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. This is the closest hotel to the concert hall, though largest in size (1300 rooms), containing shops, restaurants, a gym, a liquor store and exibition hall. Ammenities are at a minimum (though free WiFi access is included), with charges applied for additional services. Room Type: 2 Double Beds Parking: On-site ($12 per night); Valet ($18 per night) Check-in: 3pm Check-out: 11am 2) 21c Museum Hotel 700 W. Main St. (2 blocks away) $159 per night (4 person room, $39.75 per person) Description: A hotel within a museum, with world-wide recognitions. Though older than any of the other hotels, it is no less clean and modern. Posh and ecclectic, this hotel is rife with ammenities, such as complementary iPods (!), free WiFi access, business center with 42 inch LCD television with cable hook-ups (perfect for multi-player gaming), silver mint julep cups, complementary daily newspaper and bathrobes, and high quality bedding and toiletries. Has the shortest check-in/check-out time. Room Type: 2 Double Beds Parking: Valet ($18 per night); Restaurant Parking ($4 Mon - Sat after 5:30pm) Check-in: 4pm Check-out: 11am 3) Courtyard Louisville Downtown 100 S. Second St. (3.5 blocks away) $119.00 per night (4 person room, $29.75 per person) Description: This bare-bones hotel offers the bare minimum in accomodations. However, its close promiximity to the concert hall and cheap on-site parking. Wired internet access is available, but WiFi is restricted to the lobby and common areas. Rooms do offer pay-per-play videogames. Guest capacity is restricted to 5 people. Room Type: 2 Double Beds; Single King Bed + Pull-out Sofa Bed ($169.00 per night) Parking: On-site ($6 per day) Check-in: 3pm Check-out: 12pm 4) Hyatt Regency Louisville 320 W. Jefferson St. (4 blocks away) $110.00 per night (4 person room, $27.50 per person) Dscription: Located four blocks away from the theater, it is the cheapest of the four hotels. Though not as large as the Galt House or Hilton hotels, the Hyatt has larger rooms, containing a work-space area and separate changing room in the bathrooms. Intended for business clientele, this hotel provides more convinient and efficient services, such as electronic self-check-in/check-out and porter/bellhop service. T-Mobile Wifi access is available at a fee. Room Type: 2 Double Beds Parking: Guest Parking ($9 per day*); Daily Parking ($11 per day*); Valet Parking ($18 per night) Check-in: 3pm Check-out: 12pm *In-&-Out privileges are available, i.e. pay for the day, no additional fee to re-enter. My pick is the 21c Museum Hotel, because, overall, it has the best location, accessibility, parking fee ($4 at restaurant), ammenities and guest rating among the four. However, if pricing is a major factor, the Hyatt Regency would be my second pick. Let me know what you guys think.

Okay, I've set up a page for purchasing the tickets, which are for Orchestra Seating (Section AA - S). These are the $48.00 tickets, but I've also included the $5.00 ticket fee that the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts charges per ticket, totaling to $53.00. (I tried to add that information onto the PayPal page, but for some reason it's not showing up.) PayPal Page for purchasing tickets I think I'd like to go ahead and set-up the purchase-by date for Monday, June 16, 2008. This will allow everyone at least one working pay-period of opportunity for me to collect money for their tickets. Please also PM me after you purchase your tickets so that I can confirm who has purchased tickets. I'm currently working on finding hotels that offer shuttle service in the Louisville area, along with rooms and rates. I'll list my top choices once I've narrowed it down. Those of us who want to split the hotel cost can then decide where, how, and any other details. I can also set up another PayPal page for the hotel, if needed. Everyone should go ahead and tell me if you do or do not have transportation to Louisville, KY. I'll provide maps and parking instructions for those with transporation as the date approaches. Please let me know also where you are traveling from to help co-ordinate directions. (If requested, I can also let you know of a couple of cheap gas stations in the Bluegrass Region.) For those that do not have transportation, tell me your pick-up location and I'll give you the name of the closest person to you. You'll have to contact that person yourself and make travel arrangements with him/her, but I'll help in any way I can. Guys and gals, this is gonna be an awesome meet-up!

Tell you what BGC, I can take over handling arrangements for the Louisville meet-up. Since I live in Lexington, thus being one of the closest people to Louisville going to the concert, I think I can handle it. I really want to see this trip happen. As such, it seems to me that we'll be getting the $48 tickets for the show, but not with group seating packages. This may not be a problem since there are still tickets available. I'm thinking that if it's okay that I handle things, I can make the purchase of tickets at one time to ensure that the seats are as close together as possible. I can set up a paypal account for this trip if necessary. I've asked around some and I've heard that the hotels in Louisville have shuttle services available for their guests. Some can even pick-up guests at their desired locations and take them to various locations around town, which would provide for transportation to and after the concert. This could simplify the meet-up location and arrangements by having everyone meet at the hotel, parking there if needed, and then going to the concert together via the shuttle. I can get a list of the hotels that provide shuttle service and confirm the service by phone call, if requested. I can also get a list of rooms and rates as well. Let me know if this is O.K. with you guys.

No one has yet talked about Patapon in depth, which is kinda weird since the game is completely addictive. One thing that people should know about Patapon is that it isn't a rhythm game, per se; Patapon is a tactical side-scrolling adventure game with rhythm game mechanics. It's weird to issue battle commands via drumming, but just incredible fun when you start chaining combos and learning to adjust drumming patterns in beat with the music. The key to winning most of the game is in properly equiping and arming your Patapon troops. Even if you have terrible rhythm and can't manage to pull off chains, you can usually prevail if your troops have on the best equipment available to you. Still, it's a lot more fun to keep up the rhythm and groove to the music as it progresses. The game progresses in traditional stage format, being that each new stage is unlocked after having completed the previous one. There are three different types of stages: a hunting stage (where you gather materials by hunting animals), a mission stage (where your goal is to defeat the Zigaton army), and boss stages (where your skills are tested at the end of each chapter). Hunting and Boss stages can be repeated from the stage select screen, but Mission stages cannot be repeated after being completed. You can also unlock new songs and commands which give you a better arsenal in combating the Zigatons, but I wish that the game could have given you more and really emphasized the strategy aspect of the game, since recognizing attack patterns and predicting enemy actions make up a good portion of the game, especially with bosses. There are also some rhythm-based mini-games available at the home camp that will reward you for doing well. All-in-all, the game is incredible fun and has just really great music throughout. As a combat-based spiritual successor to LocoRoco, you couldn't expect less.

Can she remove the dinge from my whites? Bleach just isn't good enough.

I'm up for going to the hookah bar, but I'm also up for just hanging out at a regular bar as well. I guess it just depends if I feel chilled out after the concert or riled up. Ultimately, though, it's going to depend on the transportation, because if there's no one to take us to the Bardstown area, none of us will go. Still, making plans for after the concert seems secondary when the details for actually attending the concert aren't yet finalized. What's the deal with the tickets, BGC? I vote for group seating in the $48 sections. What about everyone else? Want Group Seating / $48 Section Will Share Hotel Need Transportation (Did this to give BGC a clear idea of who wants what.)

Going to the bar sounds good enough, so long as it stays somewhere near the hotel. Louisville can get rough if you stray away from the beaten path. There was this one time, where some jerk hit me in the head with a rock after trying to intimidate me into giving him money. Glad I got out of there fast. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but alcohol and slum-y neighborhoods can lead to trouble. Anyway, what's the official status on the trip, BGC? Have we officially decided to spring for the $48 tickets? If so, is this going to be group seating?

In before the lock. Ahem... FAVORITES THREAD