Ancient Greek Statues Were Once Fruity and Tacky

This is one of the most disappointing things I’ve learned all year — ancient Greek statues were probably extremely tacky when they were first erected. Accroding to i09, “Original Greek statues were brightly painted, but after thousands of years, those paints have worn away.” Scientists have used ultraviolet-light techniques to get a picture of what these statues originally looked like…and it’s jarringly gaudy.

Here’s a technical explanation:

Infrared and X-ray spectroscopy can help researches understand what the paints are made of, and how they looked all that time ago. Spectroscopy relies on the fact that atoms are picky when it comes to what kind of incoming energy they absorb. Certain materials will only accept certain wavelengths of light. Everything else they reflect. Spectroscopes send out a variety of wavelengths, like scouts into a foreign land. Inevitably, a few of these scouts do not come back. By noting which wavelengths are absorbed, scientists can determine what materials the substance is made of. Infrared helps determine organic compounds. X-rays, because of their higher energy level, don’t stop for anything less than the heavier elements, like rocks and minerals. Together, researchers can determine approximately what color a millennia-old statue was painted.

I’ve always loved the look of ancient Greek statues, but these colored ones look more Las Vegas than Athens. Bummer.

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Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Videos: Amatera, Viewtiful Joe, Dormammu

The latest batch of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds videos feature Amatera (Okami), Viewtiful Joe, Dormammu, and more. It’s slick stuff. I love that an obscure Dr. Strange villain like Dormmamu is included in the mix, but using characters like that always makes me chuckle. Similar to Silver Surfer in Marvel Ultimate Alliance, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense — these characters are way too powerful for the situations at hand. Silver Surfer could destroy any MUA level in seconds. Dormammu could obliterate almost every character in MVC3 in a snap.

Yeah…I’m probably being too much of a fanboy if I’m trying to bring comic-book logitc into the mix. Ha!

Coffee Talk #203: Games You Love Because of Their Writing

Here’s a Coffee Talk request from RPadholic bsukenyan. He thought it would be a great idea to discuss games we love because of their writing. That’s a fantastic idea! Obviously you’re all huge fans of the last two Smackdown vs. Raw games due to outstanding storylines that are better than what WWE comes up with, but let’s be fair and talk about other games.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Hanson brothers vs. the Jonas brothers, the last time Eric Roberts played someone that wasn’t himself, or Entourage’s cocaine/porn angles, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Here’s a Coffee Talk request from RPadholic bsukenyan. He thought it would be a great idea to discuss games we love because of their writing. That’s a fantastic idea! Obviously you’re all huge fans of the last two Smackdown vs. Raw games due to outstanding storylines that are better than what WWE comes up with, but let’s be fair and talk about other games.

Y’all know that I’m a huge BioWare mark. One of the biggest reasons for my BioWare fandom is that the company emphasizes quality writing. From storytelling to characterization, BioWare’s writers are among the best in the business. Take Shale from Dragon Age for example [possible spoilarz ahead!]. Most people would agree that she’s one of the funniest RPG characters in years. In addition to the laughs, the writers got you to care about her plight, which made the search for her past more meangingful. Hell, finding out Shale was a “she” was an excellent twist on its own! Sure, it’s not the Shawn Michaels or Mickie James storylines from Smackdown vs. Raw 2010, but this is outstanding stuff from one of the best storytellers in the business. I’m just amazed that the writers made a moody, pigeon-stomping golem that millions of gamers could enjoy and empathize with.

How about you guys and dolls? What are some games you love based on their excellent writing?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend I’m going to decide between my DS Lite and PSP. You see, I’m going to Asia on Sunday for another super secret project. I only want to bring one system. I can fill a lot of time with excellent DS RPGs like Glory of Heracles, Pokemon SoulSilver, and Dragon Quest IX. Then again the PSP’s power adapter will definitely work in the various countries I’m hitting (DS is 11o only) and I can download lots of great games for my trip (carrying physical media is stupid). Hmmmm, Final Fantasy IX on a trans-Pacific flight sounds like a great idea….

Anyway, what’s on your weekend playlist?

iPhone 4 No Longer Available Without a Contract in America?

If you want an iPhone 4 but don’t want to be a slave to AT&T for two years then you’re SOL. 9to5Mac noticed that Apple has updated its iPhone 4 FAQ to state, ” iPhone requires a two-year AT&T wireless service contract.” (I wonder if unlocked models from Canada and Mexico still require a contract….)

Some people are thinking that this is another sign of AT&T losing iPhone exclusivity in the near future. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. It certainly sucks that American consumers don’t have the option to buy the phone outright and pay for month-to-month service.

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PlayStation 3 Jailbreak Available via USB?

As RPadholic smartguy pointed out, OzModChips is selling a product called PS3 Jailbreak that allegedly…wait for it…jailbreaks your PlayStation 3 console. In addition to playing copied games, an open PS3 would support custom firmware, homebrew gaming, and more. Sony can’t be thrilled with this development and I’m sure its lawyers will do everything in its power to shut it down, similar to how Nintendo is waging war against the R4 “backup” cartridge for Nintendo DS.

That said, there are several useful applications for PS3 Jailbreak (if it works as promised). Developers that can’t afford extra debug units to play early builds of games get a cheaper solution with this product. Journalists (and verbal entertainers) that can’t get debug kits from Sony have a way to play early builds and earn preview money. While I’m sure that this product will be demonized by console manufacturers and game publishers, it’s not inherently bad.

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PSP 2 Has Touch Controls on its Butt?

According to three of Eurogamer’s sources, the next PlayStation Portable console has touch-sensitive controls…that are placed behind the screen. If you’ve ever played with the Motorola Backflip then you know what I’m talking about. If not, picture an electronics slab that’s mostly screen on the front, controlled by motions on the back of the device. Here’s the deal:

According to three separate development sources who have seen and used the new PSP, the screen is rich and detailed but the headline feature is the way games are controlled — by a touch-sensitive area on the back of the unit behind the screen.

One source told us he expects it to launch by the end of 2011, although another was less convinced, believing we won’t see anything for at least a couple of years. Sony has not specified when it will release a successor to the current platform.

It’s thought that Sony considered a disc-based storage solution for the new PSP, but has since decided against it following developer feedback. Flash media support, similar to the PSPgo, seems most likely.

Eurogamer has even more details on the system. The article is definitely worth supporting and checking out.

Are any of you down with controlling a handheld console by fingering it?!? *snicker*

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DanceMasters Gamescom 2010 Screens Are Frickin’ Hilarious!

Considering that most of you weren’t nearly as excited as I was with Dance Central at E3 2010, I’m guessing that most of you will not care about DanceMasters for Xbox 360. Stay with me though. This Kinect game is being made by the Dance Dance Revolution people and those peeps know rhythm games. More importantly (for the purposes of this post), the screens are awesomely hilarious! I might have to ironically like this game similar to how I loved Britney’s Dance Beat for PlayStation 2.

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Darkspore Gamescom 2010 Screens

One of EA’s more recent and curious announcements was Darkspore for PC. Loosely — and I mean loosely — based on the Spore universe, the action-RPG looks like a sci-fi version of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance or Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I absolutely love these kinds of games, so even though I didn’t care for Spore, I might give this one a go. What say you?!?

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