Y’know, I can understand if someone hasn’t liked the last few Bond movies (I wouldn’t agree, but I could understand), but this doesn’t sound like someone who’s had a problem with the last few movies so much as it sounds like someone who has a problem with the concept of Bond in the first place (all emphasis mine):

Chris Cornell almost turned down the chance to record the new James Bond film’s theme song, because he disliked Pierce Brosnan’s recent 007 movies. The Audioslave frontman has been selected for the soundtrack of Casino Royale. But Cornell only agreed to compose the track once he had watched a rough edit of the upcoming Daniel Craig-starring movie. He tells VH1, “I wasn’t really sure about doing a Bond theme, because I wasn’t really a big fan of the last several movies. And then I heard that there was going to be a new guy – Daniel Craig – who was going to play Bond. And he’s so different. I have seen him in several movies, and I was kind of intrigued. So I went to Prague (in Czech Republic), where they were shooting the movie, and they showed me a rough edit of it. I was just completely blown away by it, because it’s unlike any Bond film ever, really. Craig is an actor’s actor, and there’s emotional content to the movie. He’s not like the swaggering, winking sort of super-agent guy. He’s like a human being in this movie, and it’s going to completely readjust the way people think of the character.“

Why? What’s the point of making a Bond movie where the character is completely different? If you want a secret agent movie where the main character isn’t like Bond, why not make a secret agent movie where the main character isn’t, you know, James Bond?!

Of course, there’s always the possibility that Cornell has no idea what he’s talking about, but this doesn’t exactly fill me with enthusiasm for this remake of Casino Royale.

I’ve been neglecting this blog somewhat of late, partially because I’ve been busier in other parts of my life, but mostly because I’ve not been as inspired to write.

I’m on the road this week, hitting Wheeling and Martinsburg to present (briefly) at a couple of trainings, and without my computer and my Xbox to entertain me, I’ve been forced* to turn to an old friend: Talk radio.

Talk radio is fun because it’s full of people making very, very stupid comments about things they don’t understand (not unlike this blog). During an hour of downtime this evening, I heard at least two topics that I think I’ll have to write about when I get home and can do research** (my cell isn’t good for extended surfing). I think I’m definitely going to have to start listening to the radio at home.

* My portable DVD player is doing its best, by the way. It’s quite the trooper, and I don’t mean to disparage its hard work.

** Note that I said I COULD do research from home, not that I actually would. I don’t want anyone getting their hopes up that the possibility of a return to regular posting also means a higher standard of fact checking.

While NCAA Football is, as I mentioned in the comments to my previous post, not a bad game, I do have a few minor complaints, like this one.

It provided me with the option to generate names for my “unnamed” players, and two of my players have the last name Swoopes. You might ask what’s so bad about that, but when the announcer uses the name “Swoopes”, it’s obviously one of the names they added in later, because the voice is about an octave lower and a decibel or two louder than the regular guy.

Before I’ve even started playing the game, I have a few complaints.

First off, 2 players? When was the last time anyone saw a real gaming system that only allowed for two players? The Super Nintendo? Oh, wait. The Sony P(o)S and its successor only allowed for two players without the use of a Multitap-esque device, didn’t they? That, combined with the fact that they had substandard graphics for their games, leaves me astounded that Sony’s actually managed to become a contender in the gaming industry… but, I’m digressing, aren’t I?

Second, there’s a nice holographic sticker on the cover of the game that indicates it’s an “officially licensed collegiate product.” It looks fine on the cover, so I would’ve left it on… except that it was stuck there on top of the “Security Device Enclosed” sticker, meaning that removing that sticker tore up the nice holographic one (and the plastic underneath. Seriously, when are game and DVD makers going to learn not to put stickers on the actual case?!).

Third, the disclaimer informing me that I may not be able to play this game online after the 2006-2007 NCAA football season is over disturbs me. I understand that EA has an exclusive license on football games from the NCAA, but I’m definitely not pleased by the implications of that disclaimer. Wasn’t the whole point to Xbox Live that I wouldn’t be held hostage to the whims of companies like EA?

So, even before I’ve turned the game on, it’s got three strikes against it. It’s a good thing this isn’t NCAA Baseball, isn’t it?

I knew the name From Software, but I don’t know that I’ve ever played any of their games before Chromehounds. Dying to have a new X-box 360 game that wasn’t a FPS, I picked up Chromehounds on a friend’s* recommendation. The solo player game leaves much to be desired, but anyone playing it will quickly realize that there’s a reason for that — the single player game is obviously just a tutorial for the “real” game, the multiplayer experience.

The story for the multiplayer game is simple. Each player declares loyalty to one of three warring nations, and then proceeds to fight battles for that nation in arenas picked from a small map. The money earned in these battles earns the money that the player needs to buy more parts to build a better HOUND. While the game itself groups hounds into six distinct catagories, there’s no real requirement that a HOUND must fit squarely into the categories. There are a ton of customization options, and it should be very interesting to see how people build HOUNDs that fit their own playstyle.

The only downside that I can really see is that the HOUNDs move very, very slowly (like giant walking tanks would be fast), even the fastest, the Scout class, and that’s something that’s fairly minor and easily ignored after you’ve gotten used to the game play. Overall, it’s an excellent game, and I’m really looking forward to playing it with a slightly larger squad after I get some of my friends to pick up the game. (Unfortunately, NCAA Football ’07 comes out tomorrow, so we’ll see whether I can actually get them to play.)

*Incidentally, said friend has left me hanging, leaving me to fight in the Neroimus War all alone.