TheAlarm.com: The First 16 Years

I was web master for http://www.thealarm.com for over 15 years. In that time, the web site has changed immensely: from a single page with news and rumors, to a fully dynamic web community. As I was writing this story, a couple thoughts occurred to me. Mike Peters and MPO had the foresight to get into the internet very very early. Their first site was also one of the first sites dedicated to a musician on the internet. The story of the multiple sites and how they evolved is also the story of how the internet itself has evolved in the past decade. However, there are more stories here than just that. There is also the very personal story of myself, developing these sites and growing-up from a rank amateur to full-fledged web professional and developer. However, but more importantly, it’s the story of how Mike Peters, a true survivor of the music industry and cancer, has grown and sustained his career by leveraging the internet at every turn. Long before MySpace.com, YouTube, and iTunes, Mike Peters (with a little help from his freinds) had been using the 20th century’s most important communication revolution in ways that few before him had even thought possible.

Close, The Alarm, And U2: The Words I've Been Holding In For Too Long

The song “Close” was released for review in the UK in mid-December 2004.   It’s little late in the album cycle for “In The Poppy Fields”, and without a single to sell in the stores, it’s kind of a wasted effort.   Still though, it’s nice to see The Alarm MMIV get some press, even though it’s not really the kind that does the much good.  Why? Because reading through most of the reviews of the single (Google '"The Alarm Close" review' to read what I mean) you might think it was 1986 all over again.  With a new U2 album out (the satisfyingly but light mega-hit  "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb") the same year as a new Alarm album (the unsung adventurous comeback "In The Poppy Fields"),  comparisons have arisen again.    Almost every review, good or bad, says "Close" sounds like U2.     It’s funny though, because if you asked any one of those people to tell you the specific U2 song “Close” sounds like, they probably could not.   Why? Because, really, it doesn’t sound like U2 at all.  It sounds like an idealized burst of rock and roll , ardent in its obvious love for the medium, while gripping with simple lyrics of yearning and hope.  It’s what people think U2 “should” sound like, but have not for many years now (sorry, not even on their new album).  Furthermore, “Close” has none of the signature guitar sound of U2 or even much of Bono’s vox style.  It sounds more like a cross between Icicle Works and Echo And the Bunnymen, shouted from the roof-top of decaying building somewhere in the dystopia of cold-war Europe. Funny though, that "Close" was written in 2001, long before the current U2 album was even being considered…but then that's not really the point.   The point is, The Alarm and U2 have never really much sounded the same.  They were friends and confidants with similar ideals who played guitar rock at time when it was patently unfashionable to do so.  They might have affected each other in various ways, but that the influence was definitely not a one-way street.  

E3 : Extergaming

E3 Exergaming

E3 2004

By Steve Fulton

(Originally published on Gamerdad.com)

Exercise and gaming.  Ever since Nolan Bushnell introduced the first arcade dance-game through Bally/Sente in 1987, the very idea of getting exercise while playing video games has enthralled people like myself, who get bored after 30 seconds on an exercise bike, and can’t get to the gym on any consistent basis, yet could play video games all-day everyday.

While there have been dance pads, and other devices that have incorporated exercise and gaming in the past, E3 this year seemed to take this niche to another level.    One huge segment that I glossed-over, and wish I had not, were “drum” games like Donkey Konga.  Since these games only use a drum as a controller, and don’t force players to move their fat behinds, I did not include them here, but rest assured, exercise can ber obtained fro, those devices, as well as the following ones.

E3 Embraces The Classics

E3 Embraces The Classics
E3 2004
By Steve Fulton
Originally published on Gamerdad.com


E3 2003 was a huge disappointment for me.  It was my first time attending, and I my hope was to see all the cool new games, but at the same time, view some of the vast array of classic compilations that were starting to pop-up with amazing frequency.  As well, the newly formed Atari (Infogrames) would be there, showcasing why they had changed their name to that of world’s first great video game pioneers.  It looked like a bonanza for a classic gaming fan like myself.  However, it was not to be.  Besides a few trading-card based classic games for the  GBA, there were almost no golden-age games at the show.  Atari's booth (as this year) was closed to the public, and I could not find a way to worm my way in.  E3 it seemed was simply a show-case of tired, me-too 3D games with little room for innovation or reverence for the truly amazing game of the past. It was waste of my time, and a missed opportunity. I wasn't even sure I would ever attend the show again.

Review : Demon Star Secret Missions : PC

Demon Star: Secret Missions 2

PC

By Steve Fulton

“A frantic, kinetic 2D shooter unequaled on the PC platform”

Scott Host of Mountain King Software has been making shooters for the PC since 1993 with Galactix.  He followed that game up with the amazing (for it’s time) Raptor: Call Of Shadows and a few years ago with Demon Star.  All of these games featured sumptuous 2D graphics mixed with some of the best scrolling shooter action since Xenon 2: Megablast on the Atari ST and Amiga.   Obviously, the commercial market for a 2D scrolling shooter is not what it used to be, so Host went independent a few years ago, and never looked back.  

Demon Star: Secret Missions 2 and  both of it’s prequels are pretty much unequaled on the PC when it comes to scrolling shooters.  These games have everything you would want if you are hankering for classic 2D game play, and don’t know how to satisfy the hunger: dozens of enemies, tons of bolt-on weapons, boss-battles, multiple scrolling environments, and most notably, Multiplayer action.  You can play with a friend on the same computer, or even over a network.

Review : Big Mutha Truckers : PS2

Big Mutha Truckers
PS2
By Steve Fulton
(Originally published on Gamerdad.com)

Slam The Hammer Down, Blow The Doors Off This One And Give It A Big 10-22
To a 7-year old in 1977, Star Wars was the coolest thing ever conceived.  The second coolest thing was Evel Knievel and his insane jumps on motorcycles with factory suspensions.  The third coolest thing however, was American trucker phenomenon.  The mid 1970’s saw independent truckers and their CB lingo pull out of the truck stops and drive head-on into the American psyche.  Like most great American pop-culture mishaps (i.e. disco, 50’s sock hops, teenage scientists, wire-fu, bullet-time, etc.), it all started in the movie theatre.  It began with White Line Fever in 1975, continued with The Last Of The Cowboys starring Henry Fonda in 1976, reached an apex in 1977 with Burt Reynolds and Smokey And The Bandit, and petered-out (cut-off by the success of Star Wars) with the Sam Peckinpah directed Convoy in 1978. It is no coincidence that the last great western of 70’s, Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, was released in 1976, smack-dab in the middle of trucker-movie era.   For a few short years (until Han Solo shot-first and rose above all comers), truckers replaced cowboys as the quintessential outlaw-heroes of the American West.   What drove this fascination with 18-wheels vehicles, and the people (mostly men) who piloted them?   The open roads and convoys of big rigs were like the romantic, wide-open spaces, wagon trains, and cattle drives of the western era.  “Smokeys” were like the corrupt town Sheriffs, or worse, the ruthless Pinkerton men.  Knowing the complicated CB language was like having a ticket into a private, FCC thumb-nosing party.   This was post-Vietnam, and heroes for kids were in short supply. As silly as it may seem, the truck-driver of the mid-70’s seemed to embody the All-American spirit of freedom, independence, free trade, and the dream of making your life into anything you want it to be.  

Review : Lego Drome Racers : GBA

Lego Drome Racers (GBA)
GBA
By Steve Fulton
(originally published on gamerdad.com)

A surprisingly winning racer from THQ

Good racing games for the GBA are hard to come by.  They are usually either ambitious 3D miss-fires like the textured-polygon filled Driver 2 Advance, or 2-D, third-person contests like Hot Wheels Velocity X with some good features, but ultimately difficult to view and control.   THQ’s Lego Drome Racers manages to avoid these common pitfalls, crossing the finish line as rather nice little 3D combat racing game for the GBA. 

The best choice THQ made with this game was to avoid textured polygons.  Instead, shaded ones are used to great effect.  The GBA screen is too small for most textures anyway, and most of the time they end up looking messy and grainy (ala Driver 2 Advance).   The shaded polygons with their associated color palette, give the landscapes a feeling not unlike that of Warner Bros. Road Runner Cartoons.   Far from detracting from the realism, the graphics create a surreal racing environment that manages to look great, while not distracting the player from the task at hand: winning races.

The game gives you the choice of 4 play modes: Arcade, Quick Race, Championship, and Multiplayer (with  a link cable).  The heart of the game is the Championship mode, as it let’s you race through all four “Cups” in succession.  “Cups” consist of four or five races, over various terrain, each one locked until you have placed at least 3^rd in the previous race. As well, each successive Cup is locked, until you have completed the previous one with a combined ranking from all races of first, second, or third.

You begin your Championship by selecting from one of the four race teams (Hot, Red, Zero, and Maverick).   Two teams, Nitro and Exo-Force, are left to be unlocked by the player.  This is one of the few parts of the game that actually uses it’s license, as these are also names of actual LEGO Brand product race teams.  As with many THQ licensed games, aside from this detail, you’ be hard-pressed to find much in the game that uses it’s source material.  In this case though, it doesn’t really detract from the game at all.   After selecting you team, you have the choice to “qualify” for your race.  Qualification involves a simple drag-race with computer opponent to figure out in which position you will star the race.  You can skip this step, but you risk losing the extra bonus “upgrade” point you could obtain if you have the fastest over-all score.

Races are on paved or dirt tracks, using two separate cars.  To be honest, it’s not easy to tell which races are on or off road, and it doesn’t seem to matter much in the game either.   Each race is three laps over varied, and interesting terrain.  The shaded polygons give the game crisp look, and help give it an illusion of high-speed.   Along each track you can pick-up missiles, triple missiles, mines, disruptors (force field), shield, rocket, flares (to blind drivers) to help win race.  Weapons are fired with the [L] buttons, while turbos are engaged with [R].  [A] accelerate, [B] brakes, and the game left-right control-pad for steering round-out the controls.
If you finish your three laps in first, second or third place, you advance to the next race and obtain power points to apply to your car’s attributes.  You can choose from Top Speed, Acceleration, Handling, Grip.   Refreshingly unlike some games, these attributes actually do seem to affect your vehicles.   For instance, you will notice over the course of many races that your top-speed increases when you apply your point there.  You will also notice handling gets much harder, so you will want to apply some points there as well.  Making these sorts of details count seems like a no-brainer, but it is one of the features of LEGO Drome Racers that sets it apart from your average GBA racer.

While the graphics are nice, the sound leaves much to be desired.  Engine noise is fine, but you will be taken-aback by just how awful the crowd-noise sounds.  The sound is so terrible that it does detract a bit from the enjoyment in the game.   With such a solid title in other areas I suppose THQ had to skimp somewhere.  I would venture to guess that THQ played the odds, figuring that  many people play their GBA with little or no sound.  However, I like great sound in my games, and it’s usually good rule to simply leave a sound out if it is not up to snuff, instead of letting it mar otherwise good game.  

Lego Drome Racers  is an action-packed, solid racing title for the GBA.  It’s surprising to see THQ, the king cheap throw-away licensed games, come up with something as memorable and fun as this title.   If you are in the market for a diverting racer to play in-between rounds of Advance Wars 2 or Golden Sun 2, you could do much worse than plopping this game in your GBA, and taking your team of Lego racers through a thrilling Championship season.

Kid Factor

This is a good beginning race game for kids.  Over the age of 5, with skills to use the [R] and [L] buttons will be enough to have little-ones ripping around these well-designed and varied tracks.   The game is very forgiving when it comes to staying on the road, which is great for kids just learning the mechanics of a driving game.   However, kids will definitely need help with the “drag racing” qualifiers, and understanding what to do with their “power points”.  As well, while the game has forgiving controls, that does not mean it is easy to win.  Younger kids  will have fun driving around one of the tracks (over and over and over) until they are good enough to finish at least 3rd but that might never happen .  While 5 year olds can enjoy the game (mine did), it might be better suited to 7 or 8 year-old, who can truly appreciate it.

Score: ***

Age: 5+
ESRB: E - Everyone
Producer: THQ

Developer: Mobius Entertainment