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Sony sends out 'Lair Reviewer's Guide' -- Must. Not. Laugh.
Dear seasoned reviewers, like Greg Miller of IGN (pictured and whose work back at the Columbia Tribune we covered), you're reviewing Lair wrong -- according to Sony. Miller, and probably many other reviewers, received their copies today of the "Lair Reviewer's Guide" so that they might go back and say, "Yes Sony, we totally don't know how to play video games, thank you! Thank you so much for showing us the light on how to play these ... things. We will now go back and redo our scores with the wealth of information we have been given."We probably couldn't say it better than Tycho of Penny Arcade when he wrote what every video game professional with half a brain should think, "For my part, I don't give a good Goddamn if someone has trained themselves to eat shit and like it. The game is not challenging, it's difficult to play, and it's taken many years but I'm ready to begin making this distinction." Controls shouldn't need an explanation (or a video like the not-official one after the break), innovation can be intuitive if it's done right. Yeah, you can explain what the buttons should do, but when professionals can't use the controls properly, and they're trying to review the game for a general video game enthusiast -- that's a problem. The fact that Sony and Factor 5 had to send out a packet telling reviewers how to play the game a week after the fact is so painfully tragic that it's funny. Oh, and just to be totally clear, there are typically "fact sheets" bundled with games and even follow-up info emails sometimes, but this "Lair Reviewer's Guide" goes well beyond that with "gameplay advice." Insulting with just a hint of desperation is what the "Lair Reviewer's Guide" is.
Revolution support list
Over at Joystiq, blogger Ross Miller strives to keep you updated on all the pertinent information regarding official third-party support for the Revolution. Ross, not one to half-ass it, goes on to explain the respective company's ties with the Nintendo of old and summarizes all that is currently known regarding the project. It's really a worthwhile read and a trusty bookmark as it will be updated with new information as it surfaces.
Miller to introduce self-cooling beer cans next year
We're always keen on technology that improves our beer consumption experience, whether it be coasters and pitchers that signal for help when you need a refill, or mugs that let you share a drink with distant friends. Obviously, then, we were understandably excited to learn that Miller will be the first domestic brewer to utilize Tempra's self-cooling cans for dropping your drink's temperature a minimum of 30º F on command. Self-cooling, and self-heating, technology have been around for awhile, but save for the homemade Peltier Beer personal beverage cooler, this is the first method we've seen to cool down your suds long after the ice in your cooler has melted. Tempra's I.C. Can works by drawing heat out of the beverage with a natural desiccant (drying agent), through a water gel coated evaporator, and into an insulated heat-sink container, once an internal vacuum-seal has been broken. Miller's self-cooled offerings should begin showing up in finer distributors nationwide starting sometime next year, and as you can probably imagine, a sixer of these high-tech brews isn't going to come cheap.
