The Red Ring of Death that is.  

I knew this day would come. All those stories from unfortunate souls whose lives were ripped apart. Shattered by the unavoidable reality that their console refused to work. I am talking about the dreaded Red Ring of Death. Hi. I am Chris and I've become a victim of a faulty Xbox 360. Of all days to die on me… why NOW?!? Why before I even had a chance to sit back and enjoy GTA4 like so many others are doing at this very moment. What does my 360 have against me embracing this awesome gem Rockstar has lovingly  put together?!? *sobs*

I don't want to fork out anymore cash right now. Think of what I can do with all that green. Food. Clothes. E3 Expenses. Buying another unit is the LAST thing I need to be thinking about. Naturally I started looking at some quick fixes documented online. Some suggested that I take apart the unit and rework the circuitry. Pass. Others hinted at a few taps on its side when powering on. Yeah, a lot of good that would do I'll bet. Then I saw something really out of left field: using a towel.

You heard me… a good 'ol fashioned towel. I know, you're thinking: "what's that supposed to do… keep it warm?"

Well, laugh that up but I figured that I had nothing to lose. I headed into my bedroom and yanked a towel from my hamper. Upon returning to the living room, I am thinking as I wrap the 360: "This is retarded… a towel can't possibly make this problem go away."  I power the 360 back on, sitting back and hoping that my wish would be granted.

(The 360 starts to hum followed by that low, humble power melody that routinely plays when the system comes on.)

The system worked. O_o

I thought "OMG… this silly technique actually friggin' works…." My fiance smirked… (heh, I am sure she was thrilled to know that I wasn't about to blow $400.00 on another unit). Crazy huh? I'd be lying if I said that I actually expected this to work again (and who knows for how much longer… I mean, does the towel need to stay on there now. That would suck if it does). In any case, at least I could get a few hours playing GTA4. You can read more about this unorthodox method at Endgadget.

UPDATE: The damn thing is on the fritz AGAIN. STUPID TOWEL METHOD IS TEH FAIL. >:( 

This blog article should be recognized as the sole opinion of the editor and does not necessarily reflect GotNext's official position on the subject.

Hooray for cordial invitations.

By now, everyone knows that this year’s E3 will be an invite-only function open to working members of the press. Several outlets including heavy hitters IGN, Gamestop, Gamespy and several widely respected blogs (see: Kotaku, Destructoid) were among to receive their invites.

The ESA has started distributing a second round of invites to editorial destinations (like ours) to enjoy this year’s highly anticipated media summit. For those of you keeping score, this year’s press function will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center scheduled to run July 15 – 17. Downsizing the event was a welcome change, but Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger just didn’t seem to cut it for a lot of the attendees. I am intrigued to see how things will turn out at the LACC without the massive numbers that used to storm the place in previous years. Oh, and although Kentia Hall might may an unexpected return, the Center won’t have the pitter-patter of cute booth babes.

The ESA’s hand in restructuring the media expo we’ve all come to know and love remains a work in progress, but the long term effort will be better for everyone involved. Publishers. Editors. Everyone. I won’t miss the days where I felt like each appointment was just a rushed tour to take on the next group waiting to see the featured lineup. I won’t miss the days of people that really had no business there and hogged up every playable station. (Thank god for E4All). I won’t miss the long lines getting registered. I will miss seeing some of my fellow colleagues though. Socializing during the day makes these events all the more enjoyable!

Light-hearted spoof aimed at Rockstar's hottest release of the year.

Although I've played previous GTA installments in the past, this will probably be the first one I plan to play through completion. Blame it on my addiction to achievements. Anyways, I can't think of any gamer on the planet who isn't eager to get their hands on GTA4, set to release next week on April 29th.

If you're not even the least bit excited, when's the last time you checked your pulse? Anyways, in lieu of this highly anticipated release, the folks at Crackle have published a short parody sketch which takes a few innocent pot shots at GTA4. Get the inside look at what goes on at a mo-cap company trying to move up in the corporate world and… well, you'll have to watch the clip to find out more.

GTA4 is in all our hearts…

We tried to embed the video but due to technical difficulties (sorry!), you'll have to settle for the good 'ol fashioned link which can be accessed here. Enjoy and have a great weekend folks!

Now this is how you fix a mistake.

Okami is one of the prettiest games available, but the Wii version shipped with a blemish right on the front cover.  By Amaterasu's mouth you can plainly see an IGN watermark, complete with compass and logo.  Even worse, a quick scan at my local Gamestop the other day showed that the preview box art had it on there too, meaning there was plenty of time to catch and fix this error.  Oops!

It was a silly error, and Capcom is manning up to it with free replacement covers for all.  Head on over to Capcom's website to snag one of three different covers for your game, free for the asking and no receipt necessary.  One is the original art and back cover copy without that pesky watermark or unsightly Play Magazine score, but the other two are full wraparound art without even a Wii logo to mar them.  Prettify your Wii copy or replace the original PS2 cover, they're system agnostic.

While you're indulging in appreciation for Okami's amazing style, it's worth dropping in to Okami Art for a look around.  The art book they're promoting is pretty tempting.

I'd like to order some perspective.

It's been a good six weeks since the Echochrome demo hit the Japanese PSN marketplace and, after tweaking it six ways from Sunday, it's finally good enough for the US.  The full game is going to take just a bit longer to hit, but the demo offers the smallest taste of the puzzle-y goodness in store.

Echochrome is a game about perspective.  It tells you that what you see is what actually is, playing with the idea of 3D space as represented on a 2D screen.  A mannequin walks along a path suspended in air, but it's a broken path filled with holes, dead ends, and even a few trampolines.  Navigating Echochrome's twists and turns looks impossible at first, as the mannequin mindlessly walks forward in a straight line and only turns when coming to an edge or corner, and your only tool is the camera.  Who knew that perspective is one of the most powerful tools ever created, aside from maybe Anton Ego?

As the camera moves, parts of the path align get covered up or even seem to connect, and what you see is what's really there.  You know there's a gap but it's blocked by a column, so the mannequin cheerfully strolls past it without breaking stride.  One path is 20 feet up and 30 feet across from another, but the angle of view connects their ends so it's an easy step from one to the other without a second thought.  The paths only look like a 3D structure, and Echochrome is more than happy to use that misconception to mess with your head.

The demo is five tiny tutorials and three levels, and both the PSP and PS3 versions are available for download right this very moment.  It weighs in at a tiny 34MB, small enough that it shouldn't be too difficult to find the time to snag it.  Check it out, the demo is well worth the look.

And for those curious, check out the PC original freeware here.