Five bloody new video games for guys

It's worth applauding gaming's bold new directions into kinder, gentler topics such as food, fashion, art or photography -- as well as politics and pressing social concerns.

But let's be honest. Sometimes you just want to saw the tentacles off a slavering demon or invite a rampaging zombie to suck on your double-barreled shotgun.

That's where prototypical games for guys come in.

Maybe it's the Y chromosome. Perhaps it's having been raised on a generation of unapologetically macho and oh-so-gleefully politically incorrect films such as "Aliens," "Robocop" and anything starring California's current governor. (Let's not even go there when it comes to classic heavy metal bands and '80s prime-time TV.)

Here are five testosterone-drenched games that rub us the right way. Try not to drool as you shoo the wife out the door or tuck the kids in to sleep and race back to whipping up on the bad guys all in your man cave.

"Shank" (Electronic Arts, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360)

A strikingly violent side-scrolling beat-'em-up that draws equal inspiration from classics such as "Double Dragon" and the films of Robert "Machete" Rodriguez.

Stab, shoot or eviscerate legions of cartoon thugs, dogs and masked wrestlers in this laughably over-the-top downloadable outing. You can practically feel your brain cells melt away while you're playing.

"Halo: Reach" (Microsoft, Xbox 360)

Sci-fi run-n-gun action on an absurd scale, complete with jet packs, instant kills and an online multiplayer mode so extensive it'll keep you happily ignoring friends, relatives and significant others for weeks to come.

Ventilate squealing aliens, defend allies from being impaled on energy swords or demonstrate your prowess by collecting skulls as trophies. Needless to say, subtlety isn't a strong suit.

"God of War: Ghost of Sparta" (Sony, PlayStation Portable)

Some men like sports, others fishing. Berserk warrior Kratos prefers using twin chain-mounted blades to methodically maim, behead and cripple Greek mythology's most notable monsters.

Whether wrenching undead warriors apart or painfully spearing massive bosses, this handheld gem of an action-adventure spells stress relief with each glorious geyser of spraying gore.

"World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" (Blizzard, PC)

We know: Despite what you see on "South Park," women love playing this sprawling online fantasy saga just as much as closet barbarians.

But nothing says "screw it, I'm going dateless this year" quite like its latest add-on, which offers enough new areas and quests to keep any dashing knight's social calendar gridlocked for months. Hey, at least flying mounts don't get mad when you go three days without showering.

"Dead Rising 2" (Capcom, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360)

Spy a corpse shambling your way and squish it with any random object, from broom to sledgehammer, that comes to hand ... what could be better than that?

Grab a chainsaw-equipped kayak paddle and carve a trail of twitching limbs as you escape Fortune City's neon-tinted streets awash with dozens of drooling cadavers.

Deep, no. Disturbingly satisfying on some dark primal level, yes.

A Sandman TV series. Interesting...

We’ve heard the news before, but this time it seems like it might hold up. Neil Gaiman’s seminal “Sandman” is in the “early stages” of being developed into a television series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros.’ TV faction is currently in the process of acquiring the rights to the series through sister company DC Entertainment, and is concurrently in talks with writer-producers about adapting it for the small screen. Most likely to be handed the reigns thus far is Eric Kripke, creator of the CW’s “Supernatural.”

Captained by the character Morpheus (“The Lord of the Dreaming”), “Sandman” initially carried readers through nightmarish explorations of the human psyche, expanding into fantasy and its own mythology by visiting Morpheus’ (or Dream’s) realm along with his team of siblings, The Endless — Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium.

A “Sandman” movie has been a planned concept since the mid 1990s and even went as far as including “Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avery as a prospective director. (Through this connection, Avery and Gaiman would later collaborate on the script for “Beowulf”.) The project would continually be dropped due to weak scripts (derided by Gaiman and fans alike) from a variety of writers.

Then recently, up until at least May, Gaiman and DC appeared to be headed to HBO, where—Gaiman told MTV News—a "Sandman" television series seemed the "most logical" style of adaptation. For one reason or another, the project never solidified.

At this point, it seems like a natural milestone. Any beloved, critically acclaimed, and very longseries publishers plan to bring to life on the screen experiences similar cycles of production and non-production ("Preacher," anyone?): publisher wants to make said property into movie, realizes they can’t do justice to subject material within a movie, publisher decides on TV and tries HBO, HBO deal falls through, publisher reverts to its home base development teams.

Though Gaiman was consulted at points during the HBO attempt, he was never involved in the project in an official capacity, which may have been a result of its components failing to congeal. As of yet, these new developments are in stages too preliminary to involve the author, but if the planned series advances any further, it’s likely he’ll soon be a key figure in its production.

To say the task of adapting the series to screen is daunting would be an understatement. As one of the few mainstream publisher comics that transcended its medium’s typical audience to become a hit among female readers, intellectuals and the art-loving crowd, any “Sandman” adaptation would undergo intense scrutiny by a multitude of passionate fans. According to the report, the challenge is a major attraction to Kripke, who’s displayed a fervent dedication to his own creative visions, refusing to return as showrunner on “Supernatural” when the CW renewed the series for a season past Kripke’s planned five-season story arc.

Apparently Limbo Is Paving Paths

I'm quite proud of my brother and all the accomplishments he's achieved throughout his life.

Getting a job at microsoft and becoming a producer for XBOX Live Arcade was basically like him

getting his dream job.

And now he has one of the best titles of the year under his belt 
as being the soul producer from microsoft to have his name on the title 
from the XBOX Live Arcade team.

This came from CNN's Tech news site.

Games are constantly trying to be an expression of art and 
here's an article that helps convey their plight.

""Taken from CNN""

(CNN) -- According to Merriam-Webster, the word "art" can be defined as "the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects."

The Oxford Dictionary says art is "the expression or application of creative skill and imagination, typically in visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."

So why do so many critics -- most notably Roger Ebert earlier this year -- still assert that video games, the best of which rank among today's most visually arresting and touching experiences, don't fit these definitions? (To be fair, Ebert later amended his comments, saying, "I should not have written that entry without being more familiar with the actual experience of video games.")

Arguments run the gamut from games' interactive nature to their goal-driven mentality, commercial aspirations and ability to be definitively won, or ended, at certain key points in the plot.

The logic goes something like this: When you read a poem, listen to a symphony or view a painting or a sculpture, you're enjoying an experience that's inspired by an artist's vision and prompts limitless reflection in the viewer.

Sure, the swirls of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or the magnificence of Michelangelo's statue of David can prompt awe and contemplation in onlookers. But should we think any less of sprawling virtual worlds that marry music, literature and graphics into a layered aesthetic experience filled with countless scenes, scenarios and choices open for individual interpretation?

From pioneering efforts such as "Another World" and "Myst" to cult classics like "Okami," "BioShock" and "Ico," games have long used eye-catching imagery and compelling narratives to evoke passion and sentiment in viewers.

Other titles, including "Passage," "Flower" and "Braid," also provide perspective-changing experiences with ample opportunity for introspection, as do the artworks of the masters.

Touched by the hands of dozens or even hundreds of talented individuals working in concert toward a larger creative vision, each video game is arguably its own self-contained symphony of programming and graphics.

From the haunting, shadowed realms of "Limbo" to the swirling sands you'll wander in the upcoming "Journey," these games further reflect the larger creative vision of the designers and directors who personally oversee these projects.

Nonetheless, some critics still maintain that controlling the wind's passage as it blows through the hills or contemplating one's own mortality while surveying the tattered remains of a fictional civilization are experiences cheapened by their hands-on nature.

What these arguments appear to miss is that the journey can be just as transformative as the endpoint.

Whether or not you "beat" seamy potboiler "Heavy Rain" matters less than the choices made in pursuit of its serial killer, as each decision can have serious or even fatal outcomes for the lifelike heroes you command.

Then there's "The Graveyard," an art game in which you control an old woman as she walks through a cemetery and sometimes slumps over dead (if you're lucky). It's not the actual walk through the cemetery or how the game handles that matters -- it's how you reflect on the scenario and what emotions the experience stirs up.

Navigating the endless seas on your sailboat as a wide-eyed tot in "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker" evokes a greater sense of childlike curiosity and wonder than finally exchanging swords with Ganondorf, the game's chief antagonist.

All of these tales have the potential to change players' outlook and perspectives. All leave room for individual interpretation and personal growth. And all promise to leave players enriched for the experience.

Detractors can rightly argue that not every game technically fits the definition of art, or aspires to such lofty goals. Plenty of titles exist purely as profit-generating vehicles designed to cash in on TV shows, films and mindless pop culture artifacts.

But by letting us assume a variety of different roles, experience the world through new eyes and soak up scenarios from a fuller range of perspectives, many of the best games provide room for personal growth and individual interpretation. Capable of great import and splendor, at their best, video games can marry the aesthetic grace of painting, music and sculpture with the depth and gravity of film, literature and stagecraft.

For all the joy and sorrow these titles can bring, it seems a crime to dismiss them because we're free to experience and interpret them in our living rooms, not some musty gallery.

HP Envy 17 3D

HP is releasing their updated Envy line of laptops. The 14 inch screen Envy Beats and the 17 inch screen Envy 3D.

I'm more interested in the 17 inch laptop. Which has been confirmed to be BluRay capable. Which means, come November, you can chill on your laptop with these snazzy 3D glasses and watch Avatar in the comfort of your own home in full 3D. Not to mention the specs on both of these laptops are fairly outstanding.

In addition to movie and TV content, HP and ATI have a list of 200 games that will work with the 3D bundle. The glasses have a wireless range of 3 feet and HP is continuously tweaking the viewing angles of the screen, which were already very good at the time. For those who own an external 3D display, the HDMI and DisplayPort (both included in the Envy) haven't been updated yet to stream 3D content. The Envy 17 3D comes with a single pair of 3D glasses, more of which can be bought at $139 a pop. HP hasn't ruled out 3D for its other laptops. And surprisingly enough the price should be well below the $2,000 mark.