# Matt Brett > Canadian UI/UX Designer & Photographer ## Posts - [A balanced debate?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/a-balanced-debate/): Somewhere along my journeys across the ol’ Interweb, I stumbled across a McDonald’s big box ad that with the phrase ‘A balanced diet. A balanced debate.’ My initial reaction was ‘Whoa, cool! They’re encouraging people to discuss their shitty food and it’s negative effects on you. That’s mighty brave of them.‘ Yeah, not so much. […] - ['Tis the season - part 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tis-the-season-part-2/): Back in July I posted about a bunch of upcoming games I’m really stoked about. Some of which are out now, some of which have been delayed, and surprise surprise… Half-Life 2 still has no release date. I really doubt we’ll be seeing it any time soon, seeing how they’ve come up with another excuse […] - [Hockey sucks](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/hockey-sucks/): Growing up as a skater through my teens, I was prone to being tormented by moronic jocks. And hockey jocks were the worst kind. Needless to say, that kind of stuck with me through-out the years. Maybe if hockey jocks and fans in general would stop doing completely retarded shit, I’d change my tune? But […] - [Firefox 1.0 PR](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/firefox-preview-release/): Mozilla, today released a preview of their next-gen browser, Firefox. As I’ve done many-a-times, I encourage everyone to download this fine piece of software. This release is a glimpse of what is to come in the finished version – which is due next month. A couple improvements I’ve noticed so far are greatly increased page […] - [Busy times](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/busy-times/): Alright, no one told me this being married thing would make my life uber hectic! I probably shouldn’t be complaining, though. Being busy means I have lots of work. Which = money. Which results in happy Matt. So it all works out in the end. Just seems that it all started shortly before our wedding […] - ['Til death...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/til-death/) - [Doom 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/doom-3/): I’ve been trying to contain myself and hold my comments on Doom 3 until I’ve finished the game, but I just can’t hold it in any longer! First thing’s first, this game f’n rules! If you’re into gaming, I’m sure you’ve read some of the not-so-awesome reviews Doom 3 has received. I guess when a […] - [Chart Attack's Warped Tour '04 review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/chart-attacks-warped-tour-04-review/): 2002 was the last year I went to a Warped Tour. It was fuckin’ horrible. There’s was a ridiculous amount of stages and an abundance of shitty bands. The breaking point came when I was trying to watch Goldfinger on the main stage, but couldn’t hear them over the Union stage which was positioned facing […] - [X'04](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/x04/): Update (8.26.2004) A second content piece has been published. Written by co-worker, Justin Erdman based on notes taken by both of us. Update (8.23.2004) I wrote a ‘preview’ content piece for the Much website. You can check it out here! For the second year in a row, we were lucky enough to get an invite […] - [PNG-24 Alpha Transparency and IE](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/png-24-alpha-transparency-and-ie/): All I had planned for tonight, was hours on end of smokin’ demons in Doom 3. Turned out, all the projects I have on the go are ‘on hold’ until I hear from my clients. So I decided to take advantage of the situtation and get moving on Media Press version 9. I started working […] - [Ahhh, that's better!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/ahhh-thats-better/): No, I’m not urinating on the internet… Last night was Systolic’s second show. It was much better than the first! The sound was rad, we played tight and a shit ton of our friends came out to support us. Oh, and most importantly, the tuning was down to a minimum. At the first show we […] - ['Tis the season...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tis-the-season/): I can hardly contain myself! In fact, I have to try and keep myself from getting too excited if I plan to do anything but gaming lately. Deanna’s long past the point of sick of hearing me talk about all the rad new games that are coming out over the next few months. So I’ll […] - ["Turn it up... fuckin' loud!"](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/turn-it-up-fuckin-loud/): The sure as hell isn’t anything worth listening to on the radio, but check this out… There’s a new band that’s about to tear your face off and hand it to you. Only Crime is comprised of some of today’s punk rock legends. Russ Rankin from Good Riddance spouting his genius lyrics while Bill Stevenson […] - [Systolic: Back in action](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/systolic-back-in-action/): As you may or may not know. I’m playing drums for a band called Systolic. To make a long story short, I helped form the band back in September of 2002 along with ex-Lucky Number Seven bassist, Brent Seeley. I left the band in May of 2003 and Brent followed suit shortly after. This past […] - [It doesn't get much cuter than this...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/doesnt-get-much-cuter-than-this/): Tuesday morning marked a very special occasion. Hannah’s Kindergarten Graduation! We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but we certainly didn’t expect this… Paper hats, the typical ‘graduation’ theme as they parade around the gym, an adorable little song (complete with actions) and an official diploma to top it all off. - [The Blackness Cometh](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-blackness-cometh/): Judging by the amount of emails I've received over the past couple days asking "you're playing Black? how is it?", I'm assuming people actually check out my Currently Playing section. So, how is Black you ask? It's just as rad as you were hoping it would be! Criterion have taken their desire for extremely fast paced action with tons of shit blowing up that made the Burnout series so great and applied it to a first person shooter. I was fully expecting this game to be pure run-and-gun, but it's not entirely. There's actually a strategic element to it where you're forced to use cover to get around well hidden enemies. It's very tough at times as just about everything in the environment can be destroyed. So that concrete wall you're hiding behind might not be there in 5 seconds. - [Prince of Persia: 0 for 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/prince-of-persia-0-for-3/): I recently re-acquired an Xbox and have been catching up on some games I missed out on. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones being one of them. I wasn't far into my quest to save Babylon when I realized I had never finished the first two games in the Sands of Time series. - [TrackMania Nations ESWC: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/trackmania-nations-eswc-review/): On January 27, 2006, French game developer Nadeo did something no developer has done before. They released a game specifically designed for the ESWC absolutely free for the entire world. Trackmania Nations ESWC is the third installment in the Trackmania series and will totally knock your socks off... if of course you're wearing any. - [Running IE 7 Beta 2 and IE 6 on Windows XP](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/running-ie-7-beta-2-and-ie-6-on-windows-xp/): Microsoft made a some big waves today by releasing the first public beta of Internet Explorer 7. Unlike the previous beta, which was closed to developers. This one features many crucial fixes as far as how it renders pages. Tons of the most notorious CSS bugs have been squashed and some other nice-to-have features been added. Transparent PNG support made it into the first beta, so there's 2 huge things right there that should make all web designers rejoice. Now [Microsoft], finish this shit up and roll it out to the masses, stat! Being a designer and a Windows user, I was obviously anxious to see how IE 7 was coming along. I installed it right away and no surprise, it replaced IE 6. Probably not a big deal for the average user, but I still need IE 6 for testing purposes. I remembered having older versions of IE 5 and 5.5 back in the day and after a quick search made my way back to evolt.org - Browser Archive. Low and behold, in the standalone IE directory, there's a version of IE 6. I quickly downloaded it, fired it up and sure enough, it works! - [FeedIcons.com Update](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/feediconscom-update/): Since January has almost come and gone and the full FeedIcons.com site is yet to be unveiled, I figured I should probably post a bit of an update on the situation. First off, I'm still floored by the response to this all. I really didn't expect it to take off as it did, but I'm sure glad it has. I've seen the icon being used on websites from around the world in various languages. Some of the more well known web services have picked up on it and even some popular desktop software for both Mac and PC. The icon itself has been downloaded around 20,000 times from the site, which is not bad at all for being online for just over a month. I had full intentions of taking on the site on my own, but once I started brainstorming I realized that wouldn't be possible. A few months ago I started up a new business with a couple close friends of mine. Due to our conflicting and ridiculously busy schedules, we're yet to roll out any projects under the new banner. - [Four Things](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/four-things/): Apparently I've been tagged (thanks Paul!). This isn't the first time I've been tagged, but it is the first time I've actually followed through and continued the chain... Four jobs IÃÆ'Į'ÃÆ'‚¢ÃÆ'ƒÂ¢ÃÆ'¢â‚¬Å¡ÃÆ'‚¬ÃÆ'ƒÂ¢ÃÆ'¢â‚¬Å¾ÃÆ'‚¢ve had in my life Website Manager Web Designer Web Content Coordinator Grass Cutter Guy Four movies I can watch over and over Gladiator Saving Private Ryan Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Super Troopers - [Like a Kid in a Candy Store](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store/): The past few weeks have been so insanely busy for me. I know I've said this before, but I really don't think I've ever had so much to do in my entire life. I've been working so much that I actually grew intolerant to my chair. I would sit down and immediately stand back up. Just couldn't do it any more. And since this chair is home base for work and play, I found myself in need of a new avenue for entertainment. Since selling my Xbox back in July and Hannah claiming the GameCube as her own, I've only really had my PC for gaming. For whatever reason, I haven't been into watching movies for months now and we might have rented a handful of movies since the summer. Deanna and I used to watch a few movies a week, but for whatever reason, that just stopped. I decided it was time to re-establish some old relationships with my DVD player, GameCube and even picked up another Xbox. And that would be a regular old Xbox, not a 360. Even if I wanted to get an Xbox 360 right now, I couldn't as they're still, 2 months after launch, hard to come by. Now that's just fuckin' ridiculous! - [Widescreen Gaming Woes](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/widescreen-gaming-woes/): Man, was I ever stoked when I brought home my 21" 16:10 LCD monitor. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last as long as I had hoped. It seems there's several issues which hamper widescreen gaming that aren't exactly common knowledge. Even after doing hours of research into pros and cons of having a widescreen LCD, I was met with many challenges and frustrating roadblocks that prevented me from jumping into the games I had been playing on my old 19" CRT. With the growing popularity of widescreen monitors and LCDs quickly taking over the monitor market share, I thought it would be a good idea to share my experiences and hopefully cut down the hours you might spend troubleshooting should you pick up a widescreen LCD. First thing's first. There's some terminology you need to know and understand... - [My First Rip!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/my-first-rip/): Fellow 9ruler Volkher sent me a little heads up this morning that this site looks shockingly similar to mine. Indeed it does - it seems I've been ripped! Surprisingly enough, I wasn't the least bit angry. I thought for sure if this ever happened, I would be irate. Especially in a case as blatantly obvious as this one. But I wasn't at all. I was actually laughing as I viewed the source and CSS to find out he hadn't even bothered to change selector names and all of my comments are still in place. I mean, you know you're a jerk when you rip someone this bad, but you're a real lazy jerk when you can't be bothered to change it up under the hood. The hover link classes are even the same for the main content areas. The one thing that has got me a little upset though, is that this rip has been featured over at CSS Mania. Now that just sucks. Hopefully this dude has a little decency and will email them to let them know he's not worthy of being featured. But honestly, I don't see that happening. - [F.E.A.R.: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/fear-review/): Straight up, F.E.A.R. is one of the best games I have ever played. It's one of those games that comes along once or twice a year that just blows your mind, over and over and fully justifies the thousands of dollars you've spent on hardware to game on a PC. It's hard to find a starting point for this review as every aspect of the game is astounding. - [A Few Days With an Xbox 360](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/a-few-days-with-an-xbox-360/): I've tried to completely ignore the Xbox 360 until the pre-meditated hype dies down. But a friend of mine recently picked one up and has been showing me screenshots and bragging like a bastard, so I decided to drop the $750 deposit and rent one for a few days. The 'package' I got came with 2 wired controllers, a memory card (yuck!) and the standard cables - composite and component. I also had my choice of 2 games. Since the pickings are slim, I decided to go with 2 truly 'next gen' games... or rather, games that were developed specifically for the 360 - Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero. I didn't even bother hooking it up to my TV (a 27" Sony Trinitron) but instead, went straight to my new monitor. It has component inputs, which worked out lovely! The colours were great - super bright and vibrant and the picture was really crisp. So, it looks nice... but how does it play? - [Bring on 2006](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/bring-on-2006/): I'm not going to make a New Year's Resolution this year. Last year, for the first time, I made one. I didn't even come close to following it through. While I exceeded my expectations in other areas, the one I had promised myself to improve on was left hanging and has pretty much diminished. And as such, I broke a New Year's tradition this year. Instead of going over to a friend's - who has hosted a radass New Year's Eve party for the past 5 or 6 years, Deanna and I went and saw King Kong. We'll ring in the new year with our daughter Hannah at the stroke of midnight while sipping on our drinks of choice - a cool Keith's for this guy and Spumante Bambino for my lady. Sounds good to me! It's been quite a year. On the family front, we sorted out everything we needed to in regards to our daughter and Deanna's ex. All the paper work is done and things are great. We received the official government document verifying Hannah's name change on December 23, which was by far the best Christmas present we could have asked for. She's now an official Brett! When they moved here from BC nearly 4 years ago, we all had last names. Deanna used to call us a mutt family. Hah! - [Introducing FeedIcons.com](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/introducing-feediconscom/): I knew while I was working on reproducing the feed icon that some folks would find it useful. I had no idea it would take off as it did! I'm extremely stoked that so many people have embraced it and accepted it as the new standard icon. Feels great knowing that I've created something that others can benefit from - all for the sake of a better internet. A ton of eyeballs have seen this site in the past 48 hours and that's rad as hell - but who wants to read some dude's long-winded article and have to scroll all the way to the bottom of it to download the icon package? Figured that this icon is important enough to give it a proper home. And thus, I present to you feedicons.com. - [The New Standard Feed Icon](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/the-new-standard-feed-icon/): On December 14, the Microsoft RSS Team made an announcement on their blog. This announcement is extremely important on many levels and I'm really surprised there hasn't been more talk about it. And as such, I figured I would take this opportunity to jump all over that shit and try and get things moving! So what was so important, you ask? - [Minty Goodness: Session Tracker And Friends](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/minty-goodness-session-tracker-and-friends/): I've been using Mint for a few months now and am fully addicted to it. I've used other stat tracking software before, but I've never had so much fun! And just when I thought things couldn't get better for Mint, a dude by the name of Beau Collins released a great Pepper called Session Tracker. As you probably assume, Session Tracker records the path of your visitors... in real time. Not only where they've been on your site - but how they got there, how long they spent on each page and now thanks to Download Counter and Outclicks, what they downloaded while on your site and where they went when they left. It also shows you how many people are currently on your site. Seriously good stuff! - [The Importance of Proper Cooling in a Gaming PC](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-importance-of-proper-cooling/): Over the past couple weeks, I've barely played any games at all. I got back into F.E.A.R. and have almost finished it, but my system has not being running so hot lately - actually, it's been running very hot, which brings me to the topic of this post. Over the past year I've replaced just about every piece of hardware. I started with the motherboard and worked my way out. Most recently replacing my 266MHz memory with a pair of 512MB, 400MHz Corsair XMS ProSeries RAM. Since my CPU has a front side bus of 800MHz, I was looking forward to a pretty significant performance increase. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case at all. After installing the RAM, I noticed no increase at all. Still the same hiccups and lags remained. It was time to do some serious troubleshooting - having dropped so much cash on my machine over the past year, I wasn't ready to give up on it just yet. I knew there had to be a cause for the slowdowns and poor performance I'm seeing. - [The Advertising Dilemma](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/the-advertising-dilemma/): If you've come and gone a few times over the past couple weeks or taken a look at my changelog, you may have noticed various ads popping up in random spots across the site. I've been trying out some of the more popular affiliate programs from the likes of Google and Amazon. If you take a look around now, you won't see any of them. I simply cannot live with advertising on my site. I worked for a company whose soul purpose was to sell advertising. The ads out-weighed the content visually, there was every kind of intrusive/annoying ad you could think of and even ads disguised as content. Worst! I was thinking it would be nice to get some sort of financial return for all the time and effort I put into this site and thought some simple ads would do the trick. I sold myself on the idea by deciding to only display targeted ads specific to the content or subject matter. - [Configuring Your Xbox 360 Controller For Windows](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/configuring-your-xbox-360-controller-for-windows/): Last week I wrote about my recent purchase of the Xbox 360 controller for Windows, most notably, the lack of support from Microsoft and the inability to tweak it. Not that this should come as a surprise to any Windows user. But still quite disappointing. Since then, I've received quite a few hits from people searching phrases like "xbox 360 controller deadzone", "configure xbox 360 controller for windows", "xbox 360 controller for windows mapping", etc. Needless to say, I'm not the only one been who's looking for a solution. Luckily, thanks to a few (very lengthy) anonymous tips, that solution has been found! - [Xbox 360 Controller For Windows: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-360-controller-for-windows-review/): I may be able to wait to drop a few hundred on an Xbox 360, but I couldn't resist picking up a controller to use on my PC. They don't come cheap - I paid close to $60 (CDN) and I almost wish I hadn't. For whatever reason, there hasn't been a whole lot of chatter on this topic. Which is why I was so eager to pick one up. I have a couple Logitech gamepads, but they're nowhere near as good as the Xbox controller. Since the first time I squeezed those triggers, I've never looked back. Best game controller design ever! Especially for racing games. With most gamepads, it's all or nothing. With an Xbox controller, the triggers act as a third axis (z) allowing you to apply as much or little pressure as desired. Since I've been playing Need For Speed Most Wanted a lot these days, I was itching for those triggers and picked up a 360 controller on release day. - [Redundant Confirmation Windows Make Gamers Sad](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/redundant-confirmation-windows-make-gamers-sad/): There’s a lot game developers could learn from standard user experience practices applied to the web. One in particular (which has been driving me absolutely nuts lately while playing Need For Speed Most Wanted) is having to confirm every action I do. But not only that, they take it a step further down the path […] - [The Madness Continues - 9rules](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/the-madness-continues-9rules/): To continue down the road of awesomeness that I’ve been traveling on since November 1 – I’m extremely excited to announce that I’ve been accepted into the 9rules Network! For those that aren’t in the know – 9rules is a network of websites with an eye for good design and great content. It has a […] - [My Love/Hate Relationship With PC Gaming](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-lovehate-relationship-with-pc-gaming/): I love playing games on my PC, I really do. But at the same time, I find myself completely frustrated with it on a regular basis. I’m sure I’m not alone on this, but here’s some of the main issues I have with PC gaming… Hardware It seems no matter what you put in your […] - [Dissecting My Site: Part 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/dissecting-my-site-part-2/): When I determined how much content I wanted to deliver up front, I knew it would be a challenge to differentiate each section at first glance and to present it all in a way that wasn't overwhelming or seem cluttered. This is where the use of colour comes into play. I love pink, and pink and black is the hottest combo ever. So pink represents this guy right here - whether it be the body of a post or a comment I've left. Green is "external" or off-site links and blue represents user feedback. - [Call Of Duty 2: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/call-of-duty-2/): The Call of Duty franchise is like no other. Among the sea of World War 2 themed games that have been released over the past few years, the COD series has continued to stand out and lead the pack as one of the most intense and memorable game experiences. This stands true in Call of Duty 2 as you once again suit up as an American, British and Russian soldier to battle the German empire. - [Dissecting My Site: Part 1](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/dissecting-my-site-part-1/): Over a week’s passed since the first annual November 1 CSS Reboot. And what a week it’s been! Some how, I ended up on the front page of many design showcase sites that I frequent (list here) – which was awesome to say the least. This brought tons of fresh eyes to my site and […] - [DTV 0.7 Released](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/dtv-07-released/): Today was a very exciting day around the ‘office’. As some of you may know, I work for Participatory Culture Foundation whose main focus these days is an internet television application code named DTV. 0.7 is the fourth beta release and it’s been about two and a half months since the previous release. This was […] - [Star Wars Battlefront 2: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/star-wars-battlefront-2/): I had planned to review F.E.A.R. and Call of Duty 2 before Battlefront 2, but I've had so much fun playing it, I just couldn't hold out. Battlefront 2 is the ultimate Star Wars game. If you enjoyed the first one, chances are you'll love the sequel. For those that aren't familiar with the series - Star Was Battlefront is exactly what it's name implies. You are one amongst massive battles that you've seen in the Star Wars movies. You can play as any of the four factions (Rebels, Empire, Republic and CIS), re-enacting the epic battles on various planets and for the first time, in space. All the vehicles and weapons are also present, including some that only made brief appearances in the movies. - [Reboot: The Aftermath](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/reboot-the-aftermath/): Where do I start? The past few days have been incredible around these parts! I joined the CSS Reboot back in August mainly to motivate myself to actually do something with this site and to get my portfolio online (which is on the way). When mid-October rolled around and I was still working on the […] - [Reboot Successful](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/reboot-successful/): Update, November 1: The CSS Reboot site is now showcasing all of the new designs. If you like my design and wouldn’t mind taking a minute to vote for me, that’d be radass! You can do so here. It’s sorted by username, so just look for me… about half way down. Whoa, hey… I’m back! […] - [Quake 4: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/quake-4/): Quake is a powerful word in the gaming community. It marked the beginning of multiplayer gaming that we know today. At least, it does for me. I was in grade eleven when it came out and remember installing it off the network at my high school and playing sixteen player deathmatch in the multimedia lab over lunch break. Those were some good times! - [Getting Ready To Reboot](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/getting-ready-to-reboot/): Only 19 days until the first bi-annual November 1 CSS Reboot. I signed up months ago to ensure that I actually put some effort into this site. Mostly because I shut down Media Press and still have the site lingering. I fully intended to have a portfolio section as part of this site, but never […] - [King Kong Demo: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/king-kong-demo/): After a weekend away from home, I was looking forward to some serious gaming tonight. I've got a ton of new games recently, but I didn't end up playing any of them. The first demo for Peter Jackson's King Kong was released on Friday while I was out of town. After seeing the screenshots and short video clips from E3 and shortly after, I wasn't overly stoked on it. Not to mention that movie games are supposed to suck. After all, the only game based on a movie franchise I've really enjoyed (besides a few of the Star Wars games) was The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. Great game - shit ass movie. - [Meet Gaius](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/meet-gaius/): On Friday night we welcome Gaius into our home. He's 5 weeks-old and a tiny little thing. I've never held a cat his size before. He feels so fragile, yet he seems to be pretty durable. Jumping off the bed and couches is no problem for this little guy. - [A Look At High Dynamic Range Lighting](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/a-look-at-high-dynamic-range-lighting/): Over the past few weeks, I’ve read many articles on HDR (High Dynamic Range) and have been pretty excited for the release of Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast – a short tech demo of a segment of the HWY 17 portion of the game which showcases HDR. So, what is HDR lighting and why should […] - [Making Sense Of Stats](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/making-sense-of-stats/): At first glance they’re just a bunch of numbers. But then one relates to another and all of the sudden it all makes perfect sense. It’s amazing how much you can find out about your visitors by analyzing stats. It’s only been a couple weeks since I installed Mint and I’m already seeing a direct […] - [Boysetsfire Are Fucking Back!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/boysetsfire-are-fucking-back/): It’s been over 2 years since the first time I tore my face off listening to Tomorrow Come Today. Since then, Boysetsfire have been pretty quiet. I remember them playing one show in Toronto in the summer of 2003, but I think that was the only time they were up here in the past few […] - [It's Been A Long Time Coming...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/its-been-a-long-time-coming/): I’ve finally got my filthy paws on a Mac. A Mini to be exact. But this tiny little machine is not to be snickered at. It may be small, but it packs a punch in the form of an elegant and beautiful operating system, where all the applications live in harmony and play with one […] - [Half-Life 2 Hates IconPackager](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/half-life-2-hates-iconpackager/): Had the strangest thing happen last night. As I was checking my feeds to see what’s new, I noticed a new ‘mod’ for Half-Life 2 had been uploaded to GameSpot DLX. The mod adds high resolution textures to a handful of the main characters in the game and the result is simply amazing… I downloaded […] - [Heroes Of The Pacific Demo: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/heroes-of-the-pacific-demo/): No, I'm not sick of World War II games - to be honest, I don't think I ever could be. As long as they keep varying the game type, I'm good. I think we can all agree the WWII FPS market is a little flooded, but there aren't many (any?) really good aerial combat games. I was totally looking forward to Secret Weapons Over Normandy, especially since Michael Giacchino was announced as being the composer months before it's release. I should have known when the soundtrack was getting more hype than the game. The flying just wasn't that good. I loved the flying engine in Battlefield 1942, and everything else just doesn't seem to cut it. Until now! - [There's A New FPS In Town](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/theres-a-new-fps-in-town/): I guess we can bid a fond farewell to the Doom engine… and might as well say our goodbyes to Source and maybe even Unreal while we’re at it. 3 dudes working out of an apartment on their own money are working on a game codenamed Project Offset, which is looking pretty incredible at an […] - [Podcasts - I've Seen The Light](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/podcasts-ive-seen-the-light/): If you don’t know what Podcasts are, you must have been living under a rock for the past few months. It’s all the rage! All the cool kids are doing it – which is part of the reason I’ve kept my distance. I’m not a fan of the hype machine. But I must admit, Podcasting […] - [Upgrades In Progress Pt. 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/upgrades-in-progress-pt-2/): When I left off, I still had some significant PC hardware to pick up. I’ve since upgraded to a 520 W PSU and a P4 3.2 GHZ processor. Battlefield 2 is running pretty smooth now. I could still use some more ram, but that’ll come in time. I love getting new hardware because it always […] - [IE 7 Beta First Impressions](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/ie7-beta-first-impressions/): Microsoft announced the first stage of their beta testing for Internet Explorer 7 today – which is a closed beta, intended for developers. How did I get it? There’s this wonderful thing called BitTorrent – you might have heard of it. Anyway, things didn’t start out so good for my testing experience. I didn’t listen […] - ['Hot Coffee' Stirs Up Bullshit](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/hot-coffee-stirs-up-bullshit/): I’m sure you’ve all heard about the infamous sex minigame in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, dubbed ‘Hot Coffee‘, so I’ll spare you the details. The whole re-rating of the game to make an adults only title is completely ridiculous! It should have been rated AO to begin with. The thing that makes it so […] - [More Time Equals Less Time](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/more-time-equals-less-time/): I’m at the end of my second week with Participatory Culture Foundation and so far, it’s been great and I’m really enjoying the change. I made sure to come up with a schedule for myself to keep organized and on task. It really hasn’t been hard to adjust to working from home. PCF are pretty […] - [Transformers Movie Announced](https://mattbrett.com/blog/movies/transformers-movie-announced/): I remember hearing a mention of a live action Transformers movie some time last year – but nothing ever came of it… until now! At Comic-Con this weekend, Dreamworks officially announced the movie by parking a life-sized Optimus Prime in the convention centre. Not too much is known about the movie just yet, except that […] - [Record Breaking Idiots](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/record-breaking-idiots/): It’s not news that it’s been insanely hot the past few weeks. There was a period of a few days that we were actually able to open up all the windows and enjoy the cool breeze as it made it’s way through our apartment, but for the most part, we’ve had the AC on since […] - [So, here I go!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/so-here-i-go/): Remember this? It’s been just over two weeks and every aspect of my ‘professional life’ has changed. On Wednesday, June 29 I accepted a job offer to act as Site Manager for Participatory Culture Foundation. PCF was founded by the dudes behind Downhill Battle. Between DHB and their current focus – an opensource internet tv […] - [Upgrades In Progress](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/upgrades-in-progress/): It’s been a slow month around these parts. Mainly do the madness that is the MMVAs. I’ve had a hard time keeping motivated as it seemed like the day job was sucking every last drop of life out of me. But that’s over and done with for another year, so it’s time to get back […] - [Keep Plugging Away](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/keep-plugging-away/): Man, am I ever [fucking] drained! The past few weeks have been so busy and there’s been so much going on in all aspects of my life, that I feel that I just can’t keep up, but I have to keep plugging away. Not because I want to – I would definitely love to just […] - [Battlefield 2 Demo: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/battlefield-2-demo/): I've been into the Battlefield series since the first installment, Battlefield 1942. Aside from the original Half-Life, BF 1942 was probably the game I've spent most hours playing. I was totally hooked on it. BF Vietnam, not as much. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to BF 2 in the least. BF Vietnam never ran all that great on my system and was pretty buggy. I figured BF 2 would be a write-off. But so far, so good! The demo runs great! Mind you, I have all my settings on medium and low with the resolution at 1024x768, but it looks surprisingly good and plays perfect. - [Savages: Part 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/savages-part-2/): It’s been over three months since I decided – or rather, was persuaded to stop consuming animals. A lot has changed in that time and I’m happy to say that it hasn’t been as tough as I was expecting it to be. I haven’t been able to cut all animal products and bi-products out of […] - [Post E3 2005 Thoughts](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/post-e3-2005-thoughts/): It’s been just over a week since E3 wrapped up. I’ve watched dozens of trailers, read tons of articles and seen a ridiculous amount of stunning screenshots. I tell ya – this is an exciting time for gamers! GameSpot‘s coverage of the event was impeccable this year. I signed up for a GameSpot Complete membership […] - [Out With the Old...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/out-with-the-old/): Well, well well… what have we here? A brand spankin’ new site – that’s what! Over the long weekend, I found myself with a few spare hours, between family time, gaming and work. So I decided I’d put some work into myself – or my site, rather. I’m pretty stoked on the outcome, given the […] - [Matt Freeman Diagnosed With Cancer](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/matt-freeman-diagnosed-with-cancer/): Various sources are reporting that Matt Freeman of Rancid and Operation Ivy fame, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Truly sad news as Matt’s one of the greatest bassists of our time. Period. Hopefully, it was caught early enough that he can be treated and overcome this. The Transplants (featuring Tim Armstrong of Rancid) were […] - [Please Close Explorer.exe](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/please-close-explorerexe/): While everyone else in the blogesphere is posting about how great OS X Tiger is – I find myself, yet again complaining about Microsoft. Actually, this time it’s more pointing and laughing than complaining. Check this out… I saw a post on Neowin about the new Windows Messenger. First off, I didn’t even realize that […] - [Xbox 360 Officially Announced](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-360-officially-announced/): The wait is over. No more need for rumours or speculation. Microsoft has finally let the cat out of the bag and introduced the world to Xbox 360. The specs are pertty damn impressive – but if those numbers don’t mean much to you, check out the first batch of screenshots and gameplay footage. GameSpot […] - [First Official Look At Xbox 360](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/first-official-look-at-xbox-360/): I’m sure everyone’s aware of the big MTV show that’s being aired this Thursday that will debut the Xbox 360. Someone at MTV thought it was a good idea to pre-tape the show – a week prior to it’s air date. With over 200 audience members attending, they thought they’d be able to do this […] - [Batman Begins Trailer](https://mattbrett.com/blog/movies/batman-begins-trailer/): I saw this a couple days ago on MTV’s new broadband video site, Overdrive. I didn’t post it then, cause I was waiting for an alternate source so I didn’t have to plug them… but I guess I just did, didn’t I? Shit, anyway… Watch this – seriously, it’s awesome! I’m now extremely stoked about […] - [Well, Isn't That Embarrassing](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/well-isnt-that-embarrassing/): Today’s been a big day, stats wise. Over 300 unique hits and 700+ page views. Stoked! I’m usually in around the 100-150 page views per day range, which is pretty low. But since this is merely something fun for me to do on the side, it doesn’t bother me in the least. After seeing how […] - [MySpace is Garbage](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/myspace-is-garbage/): A client of mine asked me if I could go in and customize their MySpace profile. Figuring I’d just be entering some hex codes into input boxes, I agreed to help out. 3 frustrating hours later, I’ve succeeded in doing noooooooothing! There is no theme management or customization type area. In order to change the […] - [Classic Nintendo Theme Songs - A Cappella](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/classic-nintendo-theme-songs-a-cappella/): I’m pretty sure… this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! - [Brothers In Arms Road To Hill 30: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/brothers-in-arms-road-to-hill-30/): I’m not gonna beat around the bush here… Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 is one of the best games I’ve ever played, hands down. You can’t even compare the dozens of other WWII FPS to it – there’s simply no comparison. BIA is such a unique experience that it soars above the rest […] - [Google Map Fun - My Work](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/google-map-fun-my-work/): I’m sure you’ve all played around with Google’s latest toy – Google Maps. Pretty rad stuff! I tried it out a few weeks ago before the satellite image feature was added and wasn’t nearly as impressed. Now, this is just plain cool! The satellite image of downtown Toronto – the surrounding area of my work […] - [Soul Calibur III - What A Piss Off!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/soul-calibur-iii-what-a-piss-off/): First they announce that the next installment in the Soul Calibur series will be a PS2 exclusive. Now they’ve announced there will be no online component and they’ve abandoned the idea of using character cameos that proved hugely sucessful in Soul Calibur II. What the hell are they thinking? Maybe it’s just me, but I […] - [R.I.P. Derrick Plourde](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/rip-derrick-plourde/): March 30th was a sad day for the Fat Wreck Chords family as we learned about the passing of Derrick Plourde. Derrick played drums on the very first Fat release, Duh, and we consider him one of the founders of the label as well as a great friend. His profound talents can be heard on […] - [The View From My Desk: QOTSA](https://mattbrett.com/blog/muchmusic/the-view-from-my-desk-qotsa/): It’s been a pretty slow couple of months in the Much HQ – as far as performances go anyways. As I type this, Queens Of The Stone Age are doing their soundcheck. This photo was taken as they were playing No One Knows. - [Toot-Toot-Toots!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/toot-toot-toots/): I never thought I’d get the chance to see a living legend live. I mean, the bands/artists most of us listen to that shaped genres are long gone. Last Tuesday I saw Toots And The Maytals at Lee’s Palace. Reggae music hits this nerve that no other has. I can’t quite put my finger on […] - [Jocks like Bedouin Soundclash?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/jocks-like-bedouin-soundclash/): Who knew? I went and checked out Bedouin Soundclash last Saturday when they played at Lee’s Palace in Toronto. I was surprised to find that an alarming amount of college jocks would be in attendance. Not that I have anything against jocks… ok, maybe a little left-over hate from high school. I just didn’t expect […] - ['Xbox Next' = Nuts In Your Face?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-next-nuts-in-your-face/): Lots of details emerged about the next-gen Xbox at last week’s Game Developers Conference. In a keynote presentation, it was mentioned that the next Xbox would contain a built in camera so you could slap your face in your game profile – among a few other things that weren’t all that exciting. Penny Arcade brought […] - [The Suicide Machines](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/the-suicide-machines/): Last Fall I saw The Suicide Machines in Toronto for the 9th time. They played a killer mix of old and new in what can be best described as a ‘best of’ collection. A few times between songs, Jay (singer) mentioned how grateful they were that so many people had come out as it’ll be […] - [Resident Evil 4: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/resident-evil-4/): Being a huge fan of the Resident Evil series since RE 2 was released on the Playstation many moons ago - I could hardly wait for RE 4 to be released! Last weekend I rented it and Deanna and I played it Friday, Saturday and Sunday night for a few hours each. It's such a great game, I hardly know where to start. - [Savages](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/savages/): I feel sick to my stomach and horribly guilty. I’ve always eaten meat, worn leather/suede shoes and I’m currently sporting a leather jacket. Why do I feel guilty? Because I’ve been doing a little research. It all started a couple weeks ago when I picked up the new Goldfinger album. There’s a track called ‘Behind […] - [A Proud Day For Daddy](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/a-proud-day-for-daddy/): This morning as we were getting Hannah ready for school, Deanna realized she forgot to practice her presentation last night – that she is doing today. Hannah’s reaction was pure gold… “But Mommy, I forgot cause I was playing video games allllll weekend!” Amazing! A gamer in training! She played hours upon hours of Mario […] - [Blink-182 Packs It In](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/blink-182-packs-it-in/): If you haven’t heard by now, apparently the boys have called it a day and are going on an ‘indefinite hiatus’. Their label issued a statement a few days ago to the media… “For over a decade, Blink-182 has toured and done nonstop promotion all while trying to balance relationships with family and friends.” And […] - [Do Your Fuckin' Job!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/do-your-fuckin-job/): Last Monday morning was pretty mild and it was raining (yes, rain in February – isn’t climate change wonderful?) for the better part of it. As I pulled out of my parking spot on the second level of the semi-covered garage, I slid a little and realized it was pretty slick. Weird though, cause the […] - [Call Of Duty United Offensive: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/call-of-duty-united-offensive/): I know I’m a bit late writing about this now – as it came out in like September of last year. I actually picked it up the day it was released, but never got around to really playing it until now. The main reason was, the second level in – there were so many dudes […] - [Talib Kweli: The Beautiful Struggle](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/talib-kweli-the-beautiful-struggle/): I’ve been listening to a lot of hip hop lately. I’ve always dabbled, but never really been consistent in listening to hip hop. But for the past few months, I’ve had one or two albums in constant rotation. Right now, I have four or five. Growing up, I was never huge into it. Mostly because […] - [MSN Messenger 7 build 7.0.0604 leaked](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/msn-messenger-7-build-700604-leaked/): A new build of MSN Messenger 7 beta is making it’s rounds today. Normally, I wouldn’t get too excited about anything coming from MS – but the team working on MSN is actually doing some cool shit lately. The new build includes a couple new features that I’m pretty stoked on. You now have the […] - [Fraudulent PayPal Emails](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/fraudulent-paypal-emails/): I received an email yesterday morning that has me scratching my head for a minute. After reading what appeared to be a security concern from PayPal, I decided to log in to my account from my bookmark instead of clicking on the link provided. I figured, if it was a serious issue, there would be […] - [Comeback Kid: Wake The Dead](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/comeback-kid-wake-the-dead/): First off – fuck yeah! It’s been a while since I’ve had my ass kicked, and Comeback Kid did just that with their new album, Wake The Dead. Recorded at The Blasting Room with Mr. Bill Stevenson (of Only Crime, Descendents/All, Black Flag fame), this album is super hard-hitting and just plain awesome through-and-through! It […] - [Star Wars Republic Commando Demo](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/star-wars-republic-commando-demo/): Holy crap it’s good! What’s the deal with Lucas Arts suddenly putting out solid games? I should probably just keep my mouth shut and enjoy it while it lasts. Anyways, the demo for Republic Commando was released today and you’re damn right I jumped all over it the moment I caught wind. This is one […] - [Mercenaries](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/mercenaries/): It came out of nowhere, blew me away, then left me blowing shit up for hours-upon-hours. It might look like a Grand Theft Auto knock-off at first glance. But put a few hours into it and you’ll see that it varies quite a bit from the usual GTA gameplay. It’s much more linear and mission […] - [Lagwagon: Live In A Dive](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/lagwagon-live-in-a-dive/): The first time I listened to this album, I swear I was transported back to 1995. Looking back on so many great memories; my first big show – Rancid with AFI at the Warehouse, endless days of skateboarding and rocking my first band. So rad! I will admit, I haven’t been super into Lagwagon since […] - [Wacky Hair Day](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/wacky-hair-day/): Whoa! That’s some hair… and some attitude! That’s Hannah’s ‘sassy’ look. Hilarious! Friday was ‘Wacky Hair Day’ at school and Hannah thought some teased pigtails would do the trick. They suuuuure did! On a different note, it’s been a hectic week for me. Mad sick last weekend and the snow this week has slowed me […] - [Another IE/CSS bug squashed](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/another-iecss-bug-squashed/): The road from ugly-ass, table-abusive coding to standards compliant XHTML/CSS is definitely a bumpy one. There have been so many browser specific issues I’ve had to find work-arounds for I’m not even going to attempt to list them here. One of them has been plaguing this site since I redesigned it, and you may have […] - [Can I Have My DVD Player Back?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/can-i-have-my-dvd-player-back/): Who [the fuck] thought it was a good idea to force trailers on people and disable standard functionality while they’re playing – forcing the viewer to sit through the entire trailer(s) or having to fast-forward through them? Seriously, what old-ass douchebag said ‘yeah, let’s make them watch a bunch of trailers and disable the menu […] - [Combine Football](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/combine-football/): I damn near peed my pants today when I came across this forum post among the daily posts on Forever Geek. After reading through the thread, I found out how they were making these hilarious scenes. Some dude named Garry created the ‘Garry Mod’, which allows you to basically just play around with the coolness […] - [The Best Games (I Played) In 2004](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-best-games-i-played-in-2004/): People love year-end lists right? Yeah, me too! Now, first off. I am only one man. One busy man at that. But I do feel I’ve put in my fair share of hours into gaming over the past year. Some of these hours spent playing games that may not have come out in 2004, but […] - [The View From My Desk: k-os](https://mattbrett.com/blog/muchmusic/the-view-from-my-desk-k-os/): Today was a good day. k-os and his band rocked the shit out of MuchOnDemand! Normally, a band would play a song or two, max. k-os was on the show for the full hour and played 3 songs (MC Murdah, B-boy Stance and Crabbuckit) off his album – as well as a jam at the […] - [Prince Of Persia: Turn Down The Charm And Up The Evil](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/prince-of-persia-turn-down-the-charm-turn-up-the-evil/): Thursday was a good day. I returned to my desk after a meeting to find a copy of Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within waiting for me. Nice! Since I was away all weekend visiting Moms in MI, I didn’t have a chance to play it until tonight. First off, holy blood batman! The slow-motion hacking […] - [My First iTunes Purchase](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/my-first-itunes-purchase/): Well, it’s finally happened. Canada has it’s own iTunes store. Having read Downhill Battle’s take on iTunes, I wasn’t too stoked to jump on board and start handing my money over to the dinosaurs. But I was in a situation where I could either… A. Never find the album I’ve been looking for since October […] - [Riddick Doesn't Suck!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/riddick-doesnt-suck/): …well, the movie might. But the game sure as hell doesn’t! Just before Halo 2 was released, I picked up The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay at Rogers for $25. I was pretty stoked, since I wanted to get the game anyways, and was willing to pay full price – but $25! Come […] - [The view from my desk: Jimmy Eat World](https://mattbrett.com/blog/muchmusic/the-view-from-my-desk-jimmy-eat-world/): I’m going to start a little series of photos taken from my desk at work. Since I work in a pretty rad environment and looks of cool shit happens here, I figured it only makes sense that I share the extra cool moments. Jimmy Eat World doing soundcheck about 15 feet from where I’m sitting… - [Need For Speed Underground 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/nfsu2-radass/): Whoa! That’s about all I have to say right now… having just played Need For Speed Underground 2 for the past 3 hours. And when I say 3 hours, I mean 3 hours… straight… no breaks, no standing up, whoa! EA took a rad game and added some ass to it. NFSU2 is simply incredible! […] - [What happened to last week?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/did-anything-good-happen-in-the-past-week/): It started off good, with the release of Halo 2 and watching destory the first day sales record for the entertainment industry. And Firefox 1.0 finally making it’s world-wide debut. Then somewhere, it all went down hill… Employees readying class-action lawsuit against EA ‘The Screen Savers’ is dead Authorities Seek Cause of O.D.B.’s Death Today, […] - [A week away](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/a-week-away/): November 9th doesn’t seem so far away now. What’s so special about November 9th? Let me tell you… First off, the long-awaited Halo 2 makes it’s world-wide debut! I had the oppourtunity to play some multiplayer Halo 2 a couple months ago and have caught wind of how awesome the campaign is. Which has got […] - [Penny Arcade's 2nd annual 'Child's Play'](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/penny-arcades-2nd-annual-childs-play/): Last year, an article was written dubbing all gamers as ‘ticking time bombs’ and went on to slight everyone who’s ever touched a gamepad. The boys at Penny Arcade didn’t take lightly to the attack and decided to start a charity organization to prove that ‘gamers are good people, too.‘ And thus, Child’s Play was […] - [Got me an Xbox](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/got-me-an-xbox/): I finally did it! I picked up an Xbox over the weekend. Funny story actually… I’ve been working like a mad man for the past… well, as long as I can remember. But more than usual over the past couple months. All the money’s flowing in now and I actually got the go ahead from […] - [Dawn](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/dawn-rip/): R.I.P. 1991-2004 She was so much more than a pet. She was a companion, a part of our family, and a friend who will be missed dearly. - [Xbox 360: Almost Ready to Jump Ship](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-360-almost-ready-to-jump-ship/): It hasn’t been a full two weeks since my Xbox 360 kicked it, but now I find myself backed in a corner, just about ready to jump ship entirely. Obviously, it sucks that it broke, but that was only the tip of the iceberg as I quickly discovered. Things really didn’t look all that bad […] - [Let's Get DiRT-y](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lets-get-dirt-y/): It seems that every few months a lower profile game comes along that knocks everyone back in their seat. DiRT is definitely one of those games. A combination of minimal promotion and a poorly timed release date (just 3 weeks after Forza 2) were no doubt factors that made DiRT slip past most people’s radars. […] - [No E3 '07 Reflections From Me](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/no-e3-07-reflections-from-me/): Every year since I started this blog, I’ve followed up E3 with my own reflections on the major platforms and up-coming games. Last year I wrote at length on the hardware and software Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony‘s brought to the event. But, I’ve decided to skip this year. I really didn’t see a whole lot […] - [Death of an Xbox 360 Fanboy?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/death-of-an-xbox-360-fanboy/): Well, it finally happened. Instead of seeing a green quarter light up when I turn on my Xbox 360, I get a red one. Just one, which apparently is worse than the infamous 3 red lights of death. It happened last night just after Deanna got home from work. I was all excited about the […] - [And Along Came "The Darkness"](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/and-along-came-the-darkness/): First person shooters are a dime a dozen. Especially in North America - this genre of gaming is completely flooded and for the most part, each new game brings a slight twist but nothing more. But every once in a while a game comes along and changes all of that. While The Darkness is not entirely unique by any means, it manages to do just enough to really stand out in the crowd. At the same time, the familiarity that I feel while playing this game gives me a warm and tingly feeling deep down. - [Neglect](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/neglect/): One of the down sides of playing where you work, is when it comes time to play, you hardly feel like it having just worked 8 hours. What I’m referring to of course, is myself being a web designer and having my own personal online projects on the side. My blog also falls into this […] - [HD DVD is Dead, The Wii Still Sucks and I'm a Lousy Freelancer](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/hd-dvd-is-dead-the-wii-still-sucks-and-im-a-lousy-freelancer/): Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new! The dust on my blog almost matches that of my Wii, almost. There’s been a lot going on and I’ve missed several opportunities to talk about current issues that are now ancient history. As I was going through my feed reader this evening, a few […] - [Forza 2 has Me by the Balls](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/forza-2-has-me-by-the-balls/): Just as I knew it would – Forza 2 has a hold on me like only Forza game can. The original Forza Motorsport for Xbox was the first non-arcade racing game I played and right from the get-go I was fully hooked on it. Like most games of it’s genre, you spend your career collecting […] - [Here, Have My Bare Bones Stylesheet](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/here-have-my-bare-bones-stylesheet/): A few weeks ago, I finally got around to doing something I've been meaning to get to for ages. I created a bare bones stylesheet that I can use as a starting point for new projects. I established a set of common selectors months ago and found myself spending (or rather, wasting) time at the beginning of the CSS phase of every project re-writing virtually the same CSS. It only made sense to create a template for myself to save time, but you know how it is. "Create Bare Bones Stylesheet" sat as an unmarked to-do in Basecamp forever. - [Halo 3 MP Beta is a Good Time](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/halo-3-mp-beta-is-a-good-time/): Given the excitement that filled me when I got my hands on the beta a few days early, this post should come as no surprise. But let me first preface it by stating that while I did enjoy the first 2 games in the Halo franchise, I didn’t spend a lot of time playing online. […] - [The Power of Twitter](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/the-power-of-twitter/): I’ve seen a ton of chatter over the past few months about Twitter and the majority of it is of the WTF variety. Believe me, I was there too! For the longest time, I really didn’t see the point of getting updates as people go through their daily routines. But after much sitting a-top the […] - [My Halo 3 Beta Invite Arrived Early](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-halo-3-invite-arrived-early/): Shortly after I decided to spend my Friday night getting myself ahead on some of the projects I’ve got on the go, an email landed in my inbox that changed everything. I saw a Growl notification out of the corner of my eye that read, “Subject: Halo 3 Beta – advance code & assets” and […] - [Photoshop Basics: Organizing Your Layers Palette](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/photoshop-basics-organizing-your-layers-palette/): For the past couple years I’ve been flying solo pretty much exclusively. It’s only been recently that I’ve been collaborating with other designers and developers during my freelance journeys and time at Graphics.net. Now that my work is changing hands, I find myself spending a few extra minutes tidying things up before I pass them […] - [Xbox 360's DRM is Broken on Many Levels](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-360s-drm-is-broken-on-many-levels/): Let’s go back to March 27 – the day Microsoft officially announced the Xbox 360 Elite. I say officially, because the Elite was probably the worst kept secret in recent gaming history. With the various online news outlets spouting rumors of a black, upgraded console with HDMI and a 120GB HDD regularly over the course […] - [According to FreelanceSwitch, I'm Doing it All Wrong](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/according-to-freelanceswitch-im-doing-it-all-wrong/): I found FreelanceSwitch by way of Jonathan Snook over the weekend. I skimmed their recent posts then subscribed. Definitely looks like a resource I could use as I’m still not up to par with everything that goes along with freelancing. This morning as I’m sipping my coffee and seeing what’s new on the interslice, I […] - [Anxiety Much?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/anxiety-much/): Perhaps the area I struggle with most as a freelance designer – balancing my work load and finding time for all of the management stuff as well. No matter how much time I allot for replying to emails, following up on leads and the daily project management type stuff… it’s never enough. There is literally […] - [Guitar Hero 2 is the Raddest!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/guitar-hero-2-is-the-raddest/): Some time over the past month I went from turning my nose up at the thought of a guitar rhythm game to being totally stoked on it. I really don’t know what the turning point was, but the past few days leading up to the release of Guitar Hero 2 have been torture! I was […] - [Nintendo Wii is a Gimmicky Toy for the Whole Family... Almost](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/nintendo-wii-is-a-gimmicky-toy-for-the-whole-family-almost/): We’re nearing the end of our third week with the Nintendo Wii and it’s seen a fair bit of use. There have been stretches of 3 or 4 days in a row that it hasn’t been touched, though. I can’t say I’ve gone longer than 24 hours without turning on my Xbox 360 in the […] - [Wii Had Our First Accident](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/wii-had-our-first-accident/): On the eve of my wife’s 28th birthday, we decided to get a little silly. She’s been joking about turning 28 and being all serious from then on. We didn’t have much planned for tonight – caught up on some TV that we hadn’t gotten to yet this week. This week’s episode of Lost was […] - [Hey Nintendo, Where are the Wii Accessories?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/hey-nintendo-where-are-the-wii-accessories/): The Wii’s been getting a fair amount of use since I picked it up nearly 2 weeks ago. Admittedly, a bit less recently since GRAW 2 has pretty much completely stolen the thunder. None the less, we’ve just about worn down the batteries in one of the Wiimotes. On my lunch break the other day […] - [Wicked Fast App Switching in OS X with Logitech's MX Revolution](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/wicked-fast-app-switching-in-os-x-with-logitechs-mx-revolution/): Being a Windows user for so many years, one of the things about OS X that always bothered me was all the floating windows all over the desktop. For the most part in Windows, you run applications “maximized” and therefore, you hardly ever see the desktop. In OS X, you can always see the desktop. […] - [I Finally Got a Damn Wii](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-finally-got-a-damn-wii/): Yup, I finally did it! I got myself (primarily my family, actually) a Nintendo Wii. I’ve been on the fence about it since launch and had decided I’d wait until Metroid Prime 3 and/or Super Mario Galaxy were released. Then I guess weeks on end of hearing people raving about it and seeing just about […] - [No Longer My Own Boss](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/no-longer-my-own-boss/): This is probably going to come as a surprise to many – tomorrow (Friday, March 2, 2007) is my last day as a freelance designer. Come Monday morning, I’ll be falling into the ranks of a fresh start-up where I’ll assume the role of “lead designer”. Crazy, right? May-be! But let me explain why I […] - [This Post is Not About Crackdown](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/this-post-is-not-about-crackdown/): It's about how WordPress just fucked me out of a post. I guess the auto-save feature isn't all it's cracked up to be. I had just finished writing a post about Crackdown and my additiction to agility orbs and clicked the "Save and Continue Editing" button so I could preview my post before publishing. Instead of refreshing the post as it normally does, it took me to a page that asked if I'm sure I want to edit the post - to which I said "yes" while a little confused. - [I Never Talked About Lost Planet](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-never-talked-about-lost-planet/): There were a few games I had planned to review, but after losing all my progress when I deleted my profile and having pretty much made the decision to ditch the formal reviews, I just never got around to them. Over the next week or so, I’m going to roll out a bunch of posts […] - [Cleaning Out My Friends List](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/cleaning-out-my-friends-list/): I've been making an effort to spend more of my gaming time playing multiplayer via Xbox Live as of late. There are many reasons I don't put many hours into online play - the most prominent being the fact that I can't stand being yelled at by 12 year-olds who shouldn't be playing mature rated games anyway. Come to think of it, the random banter you hear come out of the younger players mouths is more annoying than the whining, but that's beside the point. Playing with the "general public" usually isn't all that fun and is often spoiled by 1 or 2 asshats. - [Oh, How I Crave Oblivion](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/oh-how-i-crave-oblivion/): I know for a fact that my buddy Andrew is already laughing at me. I've always mocked fantasy based RPGs and those that play them. I just never really got into the whole fantasy thing early on and as much as I love sci-fi, it just seemed far more "geek" to me. Like this barrier that I dare not cross. Well, when Oblivion hit and that's all anyone talked about for months on end, I had to find out what all the fuss was about. - [WTF: Unreal Tournament 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/wtf-unreal-tournament-3/): Some big news was announced a couple days ago in the land of video games. The former PC/PS3 exclusive Unreal Tournament 2007 is now headed to the Xbox 360 and has been renamed, Unreal Tournament 3. Wait, what? Now, it's been a while since I've been in school so my math skills are a little hazy, but doesn't 3+1=4? I've been a fan of the UT series since it's debut and have all current releases sitting next to me as I type this. All 3 of them - Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Tournament 2004. Notice, there's no Unreal Tournament 2 in that list and there's also 3 of them. - ["Are Your Sure You Want To Delete Your Profile?" Yes... I Mean No! Nooo!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/are-your-sure-you-want-to-delete-your-profile-yes-i-mean-no-nooo/): I couldn't tell you how many times I've referred to myself as "idiot", "moron" or "tool" tonight. First off, let me preface this story by reminding you that I moved at the beginning of the week and have been spending every day since getting our new place up to speed. That's meant lots of late nights and hours on end of un-packing and settings things up. Needless to say, I'm totally wiped and physically exhausted. We're in good shape now, but it's definitely been a tough week. Regardless, I'm a total idiot and I wish it was physically possible to kick myself in the face. Here's why... - [Change is Good, Right?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/change-is-good-right/): Up until a couple years ago, I didn't move around much. I would settle into something and stick with it for years whether I was fully content with it or not. I'm not sure what happened as I grew older, but if something isn't 100% (or at least very close to it) I'm fuckin' gone! Which I'm not certain is a fully positive thing, but that's what happens none the less. I pretty much have a no bullshit policy for every aspect of my life. - [A Little Help From A Small Orange](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/a-little-help-from-a-small-orange/): It's no secret that Media Temple's new Grid-Server hasn't been anything less than a total nightmare for all using it. I posted numerous screenshots from time-to-time when my site would go down. If I had done that for every time it was offline, I probably would have run out of storage space on my Flickr account. :P In all seriousness, though... how long are people going to stick it out? As happy as I am with A Small Orange, I still have a couple others sites on my (mt) account and therefore still feeling the pain. I've simply been too busy lately to bother moving them all over, but I'm going to have to soon as it's taking its toll on my sanity. - [Introducing Dashboard Themes](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/introducing-dashboard-themes/): I'm extremely happy to announce the "top secret Xbox related site" I've been working on for the past few months is up and running! Dashboard Themes is the first and only site that allows you to preview Xbox 360 dashboard themes as they appear within the dashboard before dropping any coin on them. The current state of the Xbox Live Marketplace doesn't give you an option to preview content before you pay and Microsoft's online components for Marketplace content don't do much better. I came up with an idea to fill this gaping whole, and along with my good friend Andrew McTeer, made it happen. - [So Long PC](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/so-long-pc/): Late last week I did something I've wanted to do for what seems like months on end - I bought a big, beautiful Mac. I've been a PC user since day one and have only had a Mac of my own for a short time while I was working for the Participatory Culture Foundation. Since the day I sent it back to MA, I've missed it dearly. My PC has been giving me so much grief lately, I couldn't tolerate it any more and simply hopped in my car one morning at 10am when the Apple Store opened, and returned with a massive box containing my shiny, new 24" iMac. - [December 2006 Catch All](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/december-2006-catch-all/): Things have been so hectic lately, and yet I feel like I'm hardly moving in any direction at all. I've definitely been feeling like I'm living to work, as apposed to the opposite which I much prefer. It truly is a hard cycle to break - one that I've not even begun to figure out. It's one of those "you know what needs to be done but can't seem to bring yourself to do it" situations. And all the while I've been telling myself that I'm almost there. Just about in the clear when I can have my evenings and weekends back. - [Tony Hawk's Project 8: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tony-hawks-project-8-review/): All in all, I think THP8 is the best the series has seen in many years. Although some areas fall short like character customization, the other additions truly make up for it. Once you've played for a while, be sure to check out the leaderboards and see how you stack up against the rest of the world and your friends. It covers everything from your scores on every single goal in the game to how many feet you've manualed. Pretty awesome stuff! - [Need for Speed Carbon: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/need-for-speed-carbon-review/): Overall, NFS Carbon is probably what you're expecting from another NFS game. It does get pretty frustrating when you're completing event after event and no cars are being unlocked. But once you get into the fourth quadrant, they start flowing pretty quickly. It's just a shame that you don't get to use them all that much. - [Rainbow Six Dodge](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/rainbow-six-dodge/): So, I've been playing Rainbow Six Vegas lately. I'm just about through the second mission which is the first that actually takes place in Vegas. I couldn't help but notice that everyone in Vegas drives a Dodge. Maybe that's because the streets are laid out like dealership showroom, littered with the latest Dodge vehicles. Even while fighting through a series of super intense, close quarter gun fights, you'll find the brand new Dodge Ram pick-up shimmering and shining as the city around it is burning and being blown to shit. I mean, I'm all for realism, but couldn't they be a littler more subtle? - [Call of Duty 3: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/call-of-duty-3-review/): Unless you're really hurting for something to play (which is hard to believe considering the onslaught of awesome titles that just hit over the past few weeks), I wouldn't bother picking up COD3. It's a worthy rent, but I think I'm going to trade mine in for a copy of COD2. Suddenly, I have this urge to rekindle the flame of COD greatness. - [Hey Rogers Cable, What Happened to Quality Assurance?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/hey-rogers-cable-what-happened-to-quality-assurance/): I remember a time, not too long ago, when a customer had a problem with a service that was being provided, the retailer would compensate them in some form or other. Waived fees, gift certificates, upgraded services, etc. That doesn't seem to be the case these days. I'm finding more and more companies are totally content being mediocre, at best. Well I don't know about you, but I'm fucking sick of it! I'm paying good money every month for services and products that are sub-standard and I think I've finally had enough. - [Gears of War](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/gears-of-war-review/): I really can't say enough good things about Gears of War. It's outstanding on every level. If you have been waiting for a good reason to pick up an Xbox 360, it's here! - [10,000](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/10000/): I picked up my (first) Xbox 360 back in April and recently passed a huge milestone. In just 7 months I managed to rake in over 10,000 Gamerscore points. I've never really been overly competitive or cared about scores and arbitrary numbers that really don't serve any purpose. But for whatever reason, the Gamerscore comprised of unlocked Achievements, has had me by the balls from day one. - [Viva Piñata! Filled with Crack, Filled with Crack!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/viva-pinata-filled-with-crack-filled-with-crack/): Last night on the way home after picking Hannah up from school, I made a pit stop at EB Games and surprised her with a copy of Viva Piñata. She's been waiting for this game for months and has been watching the TV series every Saturday since it started airing back in September. Needless to say, she was crazy excited and spent the majority of her evening playing it. Shortly after she hit the hay and a couple missions in Call of Duty 3 later, I jumped on to check it out. 3 hours fly by and suddenly it's pushing 1am, I'm totally hooked and questioning my manhood. Wait a second, what the shit just happened? - [Being an Xbox 360 Gamer is Tough!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/being-an-xbox-360-gamer-is-tough/): You know things are good when the only thing you can really complain about is the fact that there are too many awesome new games and you can't find time to play them all. Which is exactly how things are at the moment. It's been about a week and a half since I touched Splinter Cell Double Agent. I was planning to get in some quality time with the multiplayer end of the game, but Need for Speed Carbon stole my attention for a while. Just as I finished the career in Carbon, Tony Hawk's Project 8 comes out with less than a 24 hour window until the almighty Gears of War is among us. Now that the gears are turning, everything else stops. - [Xbox 360 Wireless Headset: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-360-wireless-headset-review/): The Xbox 360 Wireless Headset is a whole lot of goodness packed into a sexy, little package. I would recommend it to anyone who plans on using a headset on their Xbox 360, again, ever. Without a doubt, this headset should replace the current standard Xbox 360 Headset. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. - [My Love/Hate Relationship with NFS Carbon](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-lovehate-relationship-with-nfs-carbon/): If you're on my Xbox Live friends list or have been following my Flickr activity, you know I've been logging some decent hours in Need for Speed Carbon. I actually had no intentions of picking this game up until post Emergence Day. But when I saw them stocking the shelves at EB with it, I just had to have it. For the first couple evenings, I was having an absolute blast! I've been uploading lots of screenshots using the in-game Photo Mode and even started a NFS Carbon Flickr Group specifically for them. By the time I reached about 50% completion in the single player career, the awesomeness was starting to wear thin and tediousness was creeping in. WTF happened? - [I'm Actually Having Fun Playing a Splinter Cell Game](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/im-actually-having-fun-playing-a-splinter-cell-game/): I've played every Splinter Cell game in the series so far, but Double Agent is the first one that's grabbed me like this. Previously, the farthest I got was the third or fourth mission in. I simply lost interest. There was no real story and it seemed to jump around so much that it ended up confusing me instead of enticing me. I need more than just stopping bad guys to keep me interested. And Double Agent has done just that. - [X'06 Hands-on: Gears of War, Forza 2, Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk's Project 8 and more!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/x06-hands-on-gears-of-war-forza-2-call-of-duty-3-tony-hawks-project-8-and-more/): Yes, I am a lucky man. I may have caught a nasty cold, but I also had a chance to play some of this year's biggest titles, weeks before they come out. For those that aren't familiar with the X'0 events - they're Microsoft's annual hands-on press gatherings where they showcase the upcoming holiday line-up. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first time an X'0 event was held in Toronto. They actually go way back to X'03, which was the first that I attended. I wrote about X'04, but missed X'05. This year, I took my buddy Andrew along who chainsaw'd me in GOW more than a few times. Anyway, on to the good stuff! - [Battlestar Galactica is the Best TV Series Ever](https://mattbrett.com/blog/tv/battlestar-galactica-is-the-best-tv-series-ever/): First of all, if you're snickering to yourself and about to leave an inflammatory comment, go and rent the first disc of season 1 (which is actually the miniseries) then come back and talk to me. Now that we've got that out of the way, how fucking incredible was this week's episode (3x04, Exodus Part 2)? I've watched up until the end of Season 2 with my wife at least 3 times in its entirety and we thought we had seen "the best episode" a few times already. Well, I do believe Exodus Part 2 takes that crown, at least for now. For those that haven't seen it or aren't up to speed in Season 3, there are serious spoilers ahead. You've been warned. - [I'm Contaminated](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/im-contaminated/): I've been working from home for over a year and I haven't contracted any sort of illness since. When I worked at MuchMusic, it seemed like I would always catch whatever was going around the big, stinky city. I guess that's one of the bonuses of not coming into contact with too many humans on a day-to-day. On Wednesday I ventured out of the my office that I like to call "the cave" into the real world to rock the latest and greatest Xbox 360 titles at X'06 (the Canadian version). Somewhere between chainsawing dudes in Gears of War and trying to beat Andrew's lap time in Forza 2, I became infected. - [Has Xbox Live Marketplace Been Tainted by EA?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/has-xbox-live-marketplace-been-tainted-by-ea/): This is a tough one, it really is. On one side, I feel immediately disgusted by the very idea. But on the other, I can almost understand the reasoning behind the gouging. At least, with this latest release of "premium content". The first round was just plain despicable. Yes, I've got my EA hate on again. Actually, I'm not sure if it ever left. If you're an Xbox 360 owner you're probably aware of the latest round of downloadable content released by EA for the new Tiger Woods game. For those that aren't and those that are upset by this, let's discuss... - [Microsoft Launches Another Useless Xbox 360 Site](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/microsoft-launches-another-useless-xbox-360-site/): Providing a "resource" that is really nothing more than a sales pitch/press release is nothing new for Microsoft. And it seems they've done it again with the launch of XBOX LIVE PIPELINE - sorry, didn't mean to yell at you. That's apparently the name of the site. Anyway, I almost shat myself when a friend pointed this out to me earlier today as it could have hindered a project I'm working on. I let out a sigh of relief, followed by a laugh, followed by 5 minutes of screaming at my monitor once I made a few clicks through the various efforts. So what is Xbox Live Pipeline and why am I bitching? Why, it's "Your one-stop guide to Xbox Live Marketplace". Actually, it's not even close. Here's why... - [There's Simply Not Enough Hours in the Day](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/theres-simply-not-enough-hours-in-the-day/): It's been a week since I've opened my feed reader and about the same since I last signed in to IM for longer than 2 minutes. My email client is only opened a couple times through-out the day and I have piles of stagnant emails dating back to June sitting in my inbox. I can't recall the last time I had a conversation with a friend in the real world or even over the phone. WTF happened? Where did life go and why didn't anyone tell me it was leaving? Shit, I would have baked a cake, had I known. - [LEGO Star Wars II](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lego-star-wars-ii-review/): Take the beloved original Star Wars trilogy, add a handful of cuteness, a ton of fun, some hilarious cutscenes and a shit load of replay value and you’ve got yourself Lego Star Wars II. The Good: Fun! Ho-ly is this game fun! You get to play through the original Star Wars trilogy using any character […] - [Massive Announcements at X'06](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/massive-announcements-at-x06/): I was busy working away today while X'06 was getting underway in Barcelona so I didn't tune in to any of the live video feeds and I haven't had my feed reader open all day. Just as I was wrapping up before dinner a press release dropped in my inbox titled "Xbox 360 Ushers in Exclusive New Worlds of Entertainment for Most-Anticipated Franchises Ever at X06". Press releases are always over-hyped, so I opened it up with a snarky grin on my face as I rolled my eyes. That grin was slapped off my face repeatedly as I was hit with headline after headline of absolutely massive news! - [My Family is Hooked on Lego Star Wars II](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-family-is-hooked-on-lego-star-wars-ii/): I seriously did not see this coming. I rented Lego Star Wars II thinking it would be good for a few hours of entertainment and some easy achievement points, nearly 10 days and 30+ combined hours later, my whole family has been in on the action and we're all loving it! This is the first time a single title has had myself (26), my wife (27) and our 8 year-old daughter vying for the console. And the fact that this is the first 360 game my daughter has been really into has me pretty excited. It's good to see some kid-friendly titles hitting the 360 lately. - [Saints Row: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/saints-row-review/): While I didn't spend a whole lot of time playing online, the time spent was quite enjoyable. There's a decent variety of online modes including gang vs gang battles and co-op objective based missions. I definitely plan on getting back to this some time soon and really explore the online aspect of Saints Row. - [Test Drive Unlimited: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/test-drive-unlimited-review/): This afternoon I went to my local EB Games to trade it in. They offered me $17, so obviously I still have it. I might pop it back in while I'm waiting for my auction to end, but I doubt it. The best advice I can give is to rent the game and play it for the full 5 days (or however long you have it for) before passing judgement. I was totally stoked on this game for the first 3 days or so, then it suddenly got boring and tedious. - [Design Is...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/design-is/): I almost missed the boat on this latest plague, I mean meme. Sparked by Mr. Jon Hicks, you'll now find dozens of "design is..." wallpapers popping up on an hourly basis. I have a couple other ideas in mind, so I might post some more. But for now, you can grab this one... - [Tony Hawk's Project 8 Looks Incredible](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tony-hawks-project-8-looks-incredible/): I used to be a huge fan of the Tony Hawk series. Before all the jackasses, gimmicks and BMX bikes, when it was more focused on skating than pulling pranks. From the first trailer I saw of Tony Hawk's Project 8 it seemed apparent that the focus was going to shift back where it should have been all along. And with the fact that it's built from the ground up, I found myself getting a little excited. Today a new gameplay video surfaced and it blew my fucking mind to pieces... all over my desk - brains everywhere! - [Dead Rising: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/dead-rising-review/): All-and-all, I had a lot of fun playing Dead Rising. My first play was quite the chore. But once I understood how things worked and realized I'd be playing it through again, it was a ton of fun. Even though there's no multiplayer what-so-ever, I would still recommend Dead Rising as a buy. It will take quite a few hours just to beat the story the first time through, and you'll definitely want to jump back in and do it all over again. - [F.E.A.R. 360 = Just as Good, if Not Better](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/fear-360-just-as-good-if-not-better/): In a move that will no doubt piss off Xbox 360 gamers world-wide, Official Xbox Magazine has a playable demo of F.E.A.R. bundled with it's October issue. Since magazines for whatever reason, publish their issues a couple months in advance - you can get your hands on it now! The only downer (aside from the fact that you can't just download it from the Marketplace) is the price of the magazine - which cost me nearly $15 CDN. But, it's F.E.A.R. and I just couldn't let it pass me by. After all, the PC version of F.E.A.R. is still my highest rated game to date. - [Dead Rising is Not What You're Expecting](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/dead-rising-is-not-what-youre-expecting/): I've had the game for about a week and a half now and just finished the 72 Hour mode. It took quite a bit longer than I expected and without giving anything away, there's still lots of game left. I've really enjoyed playing it thus far, and considering I wasn't even sure if I was going to play it again after my initial sit-down, this is quite a feat. So how did my experience get turned around as it did? Let me first explain a little about what Dead Rising is and is not... - [Best Shit Ever: The Aggrolites](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/best-shit-ever-the-aggrolites/): It's been a long time since I've raved about a band I'm into... well, online at least. From the first verse I heard, The Aggrolites hit home with me and I just fucking love that band! They bring traditional 1960s reggae with a blend of funk and soul like no other. - [Feed Icon: And Then There Were Two](https://mattbrett.com/blog/web-standards/feed-icon-and-then-there-were-two/): Last week I updated FeedIcons.com for the first time since I launched it back in December. I was hoping to have a full international site up and running a short time after the initial launch, but it never happened. It's still in the works and slowly but surely getting there. - [Bashing Zombies and Cleansing Ghettos](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/bashing-zombies-and-cleansing-ghettos/): Apparently, August is a good month for the Xbox 360. Actually, the whole summer has been great come to think of it! 2 games that are hitting shelves this month recently made their way to the Xbox Live Marketplace in demo form. I will admit, I wasn't overly excited about either of them until I got my hands on the demo offerings last week. Now I can hardly wait to spend a combined $150 on them. - [When I've Got the Music, I've Got a Place to Go](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/when-ive-got-the-music-ive-got-a-place-to-go/): Once upon a time, I was a musician. Wait, that's not how this story should begin. One thing I'm sure 99.9% of you don't know about me is that I used to play drums. Not only did I play drums... Music, whether I was playing it or listening to it, was a huge part of my life. It surrounded everything I did. As things change and people grow up and apart, I sort of did the same with music. While I still spend 8-10 hours of my day listening, I haven't picked up my sticks or a guitar in nearly 2 years. Ridiculous, I know. Tonight I spent 3 hours getting my hands back in shape and I must admit, it feels fucking great! - [Prey: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/prey-review/): All in all, the single player campaign was a lot of fun. It was cool playing around with the gravity altering switches and walking on the walls and ceilings via those crazy walkways. The portals were also pretty neat, especially when exiting one that is on a wall or ceiling - you end up falling to your feet while the view rotates to the new up-right position. - [When Expectations Are Exceeded: Valve](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/when-expectations-are-exceeded-valve/): Last week, EA held their big summer press event. When I saw the coverage start pouring in I turned a blind eye. EA, along with Microsoft are in my shit books and I really didn't care to hear about their list of sequels that are coming out this holiday season. That is, until I saw Valve mentioned in one of the headlines. I had forgotten that Half-Life 2 is now published by EA and with Episode 2 on the horizon, I had to check in to see if there was any exciting news. What followed can only be described as a bombardment of awesomeness. - [The Return of the Black](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/the-return-of-the-black/): I did something tonight that I have never done before. I thought about changing my site back to the black design and just went ahead and did it. I didn't second guess myself, I didn't try and work it into my schedule. I dropped what I was doing and sat here for a solid 7 hour stretch and just fuckin' did it. So, why the change? - [The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth 2: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-battle-for-middle-earth-2-review/): BFME2 is not for everyone, so it's best to give it a rent or check out the demo on the Marketplace before you buy. And if you've never played an RTS game before, be sure to bring your patience along, as you'll probably need them while you get your bearings. - [The Battle for Middle-earth Rages on](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-battle-for-middle-earth-rages-on/): It's been nearly 4 months to the day that I've owned an Xbox 360. When I finally gave in and abandoned PC gaming, I had recently purchased The Battle for Middle-earth 2, which would hardly run on my system. And now 4 months later, I find myself once again fighting the good fight (well, for now - I haven't started the evil campaign yet) for Middle-earth. This time, on my PlainBlack Xbox 360 (get it?). - [Moving Sucks: Annnd We're in!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/moving-sucks-annnd-were-in/): Deanna and I thought we had this moving thing down. We organized everything while packing and labeled every single box so we know where stuff was when we would need it. All of our moving day arrangements were made weeks in advance and leading up to the big day, we weren't stressed in the least. As a matter of fact, we were totally stoked at how smoothly things were going and really looking forward to getting into our new home. Moving day came along, and everything started to go to shit - and I do mean everything. - [Surprise! "Achievement Unlocked"](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/surprise-achievement-unlocked/): I've been going through a pretty dry spell in regards to increasing my Gamerscore. This is mostly due to the fact that new game releases have been trickling out every other week at best for the past couple months. There just isn't a whole lot to play right now on the 360. But here's where the whole achievement points system really shines. When I realized I hadn't gone up a single point in about 2 weeks, I went back and checked out which achievements were still up for grabs in my current games. - [Moving Sucks: T-Minus 11 Days](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/moving-sucks-t-minus-11-days/): I've been in the same small apartment for a little over 5 years. When I moved out, I was a bachelor with hardly even enough stuff to make the place look occupied. Now I've got a wife, daughter, 2 cats, a bunch of fish and more stuff than we know what to do with. I work from home and since there's no other place for it - my computer setup is in the bedroom. And if you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I work from home. So yes, I spend the majority of my life in the bedroom. Just about every task I perform (hehe) takes place within a 6 foot radius. Simply put, we've out-grown our home. - [Feed Icon: Trademark, Agreement, Guidelines, what?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/web-standards/feed-icon-trademark-agreement-guidelines-what/): It's been quiet on the Feed Icon front for the past few months. After releasing the download package and creating feedicons.com, the thing spread like wild fire! I was expecting the blogging community to jump on board without a doubt, but the widespread adoption has been incredible. - [New Super Mario Bros: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/new-super-mario-bros-review/): With the exception of the save functionality, this game is top notch, old school gaming greatness! And on top of everything, it's $15 cheaper than most DS games. You really can't go wrong with New Super Mario Bros. - [Half-Life 2: Episode One Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/half-life-2-episode-one-review/): There really isn't enough good things I could say about this game. I've been a fan of the Half-Life series since HL1 had me staying up until 4am on school nights. If you played Half-Life 2 and enjoyed it, without a doubt get Episode One. It's Half-Life 2 with everything slightly improved. - [Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/rockstar-games-presents-table-tennis-review/): I really didn't think I would end up with a sports game in my collection. Not to mention, a ping-pong game! But Table Tennis is just great fun and easy to just pick up and play. I've even played a few games with my 7 year-old daughter who had no problem learning the controls and how to use the various shots. - [Modifications: My Site, My Career](https://mattbrett.com/blog/life/modifications-my-site-my-career/): If you've been here before, you might have a question or two for me right about now. For those that were using the Back in Black style, I apologize. It will be back (again). Let me explain just what is going on around here. Since July of 2005, I've been working from home. Up until recently, for other people. Some shit went down and I found myself in a situation where I needed to find a new source of income stat! - [Post E3 2006 Thoughts: Microsoft](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/post-e3-2006-thoughts-microsoft/): The last of the "big three", who's in a bit of a different situation than Nintendo and Sony since their next-gen effort is already on the market. I was curious to see what announcements would be made and if any new games would be announced for the Xbox 360. Not only did they pull through in the games department, but they also unveiled a whole slew of peripherals and gave 360 owners lots of things to get excited about. - [1&1 Fucked up My Flow](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/11-fucked-up-my-flow/): I had a good week's worth of posts planned out, that is until 1&1 decided to crap out on me. On Tuesday afternoon around 1pm my site returned a 404 in three different languages. This love error was displayed to the world for the following two hours. All the while, I was calling their 1-800 "expert technical support" help line to find out WTF was up. Not once did I even get put in a queue. For the most part, I would hear an obnoxious beep followed by "We're sorry, all of our circuits are busy right now. Please calling back later." Do you realize how infuriating that is when your site is offline and you can't even be queued for support? - [Post E3 2006 Thoughts: Nintendo](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/post-e3-2006-thoughts-nintendo/): While Sony failed to impress with their lack of innovation and effort, Nintendo came out swinging and left me with a huge smile on my face. Even though the majority of the games they've been showcasing don't appeal to me in the least, I'm still extremely stoked on the Nintendo Wii and the direction Nintendo is headed in the next generation of console gaming. It didn't take long to get over the name (Wii) and even less time to convince me that the Wiimote/nunchaku controller is the way to go. It's apparent that Nintendo has a clear vision of where they're going and they're serious about changing the way we game. - [Post E3 2006 Thoughts: Sony](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/post-e3-2006-thoughts-sony/): E3's come and gone once again. We're left with some things to be really excited about. Others, not so much. It's interesting to see how people's perspectives change from the week leading up to E3 to the week after the event. Going in, Playstation 3 was at the top of most people's lists and with the backlash following the announcement of the official name of Nintendo's next console, they were pretty close to the bottom. Since the Xbox 360 is already on the market, Microsoft certainly didn't have the hype train running full force as they did last year. - [SiNful PC Gaming](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/sinful-pc-gaming/): It's been two months, almost to the day, when I kicked the old habit and bought an Xbox 360. Since then, I haven't spent more than a couple hours total playing games on my PC. I jumped on a couple times and played a couple quick rounds of Battlefront 2 and the odd level from Quake 4. But considering how much time I used to spend PC gaming, that there is pathetic. - [Back in Black](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/back-in-black/): I've accomplished something I've always wanted to do with my site - have multiple styles and let the user choose their preference. As promised, I deliver onto you, "Back in Black", which is essentially my latest revision with the old colours. A bit more bold, as all the links are coloured where as they were only underlined with colour in my previous incarnation. The style switcher stores a cookie on your computer, so every time you come back (granted you haven't cleared your cookies) you'll see the style of your choice. Fun! - [EA Ruined the Battlefield Franchise](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/ea-ruined-the-battlefield-franchise/): Nearly a month ago (April 11, to be exact), Battlefield 2 Modern Combat was released for the Xbox 360. As I've mentioned a couple times before, I was a huge fan of the first couple Battlefield games but had major problems with Battlefield 2 for the PC. It seemed every time a patch was released, I would end up spending a couple hours trying to get the game running again which normally resulted in me abandoning the game out of frustration. Although Modern Combat is not the same game as the PC version, I was really hoping that I could catch up the time I missed out on and finally enjoy the Battlefield series again. Unfortunately, I'm lead down the same path of repeated disappointments. - [GameSpot Launches "User Videos" - Does Everything Right](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/gamespot-launches-user-videos-does-everything-right/): There's a pile of video hosting sites online these days. It seems like there's a new one popping up each week. I've tried out most of them and have found at least one or two things that have prevented me from using them. The big ones being; Re-encoding your videos to a lower, much shittier resolution. And, only supporting 4:3 aspect ratio videos - stretching others to fit the video window. - [Rebooted!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/rebooted/): Well, here we are. A day early (just like last time) with a fresh, new site. Well, sort of. If you've been here before, you're no doubt squinting due to the brightness. I'm sure you weren't expecting to see a site of mine on anything but a black background. I really wanted to do something drastic, but at the same time, maintain the level of organization that has brought me so much love. Hence the white background, but familiar three column layout. - [Tomb Raider Legend: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tomb-raider-legend-review/): It's kind of hard to recommend this game as it is very short. I'm actually a little embarrassed to say, but I finished it in less than 24 hours from the time I bought it. If you're big into achievement points and a fan of the action adventure genre, Tomb Raider Legend is at least worth a rent. It's just good, old-fashioned fun at it's best. - [You Can Always Tell...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/you-can-always-tell/): when a blogger is working on a new site. Posting becomes nearly non-existent and I must apologize for that. Whenever I saw someone neglecting their site because they're working on a new design I said to myself that I would never do that. Well it seems I'm no better, but I now understand why this happens. The fact of the matter is - launching a new design for a blog is a lot of work. Especially if you have a fairly customized installation and are running a lot of plugins, which I am. It takes a lot of planning and there are several areas which require tons of attention to detail. - [Raiding Tombs and Pwning Battlefields](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/raiding-tombs-and-pwning-battlefields/): I picked the best time to buy an Xbox 360. The week I bought it, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Burnout 3 hit the shelves. Since then, there's been a steady flow of new content in the form of demos, trailers, themes and picture packages showing up in the Marketplace. It's been almost a month now, and there hasn't been a day gone by that I haven't at least turned on my 360 to see what's new in the Marketplace. - [So, I'm Rebooting May 1](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/so-im-rebooting-may-1/): As I mentioned last time I wrote on this subject, I've been debating whether or not to take part in the May 1 CSS Reboot. Last night while waiting for something to upload, I cracked open my most recent PSD of the homepage layout, dated October 16, 2005. Roughly two-and-a-half hours later, I had made a fair bit of progress and was feeling good about where it seems to be going. I immediately made my way over to the CSS Reboot site and signed up. You see, if I don't have a deadline, I don't get shit done. And hey, the November 1 CSS Reboot helped me roll this bad boy out, so let's see how May 1 does for my personal domain. - [GameCom X30 Headset for Xbox 360: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/gamecom-x30-headset-for-xbox-360-review/): The day I picked up my Xbox 360, I spent a fair bit of time checking out all the accessories and deciding which ones to get. I was bummed to discover the only headset available was the standard Microsoft one that's big, ugly and cheap looking. I never had the original Xbox Live headset as I got my Xbox just before Halo 2 was released and some friends of mine at an Xbox PR company hooked me up with the limited edition Halo 2 headset. That little thing was great! It was small, sleek and comfortable. Lucky for us, the company behind the Halo 2 headset has done it again - this time for the Xbox 360. - [Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter-review/): G.R.A.W. was the system seller for me. I've been considering an Xbox 360 since it's release and with the PC version being pushed back a couple months and me hating on PC gaming these days, I just had to pick one up. It is, without a doubt, one of the best games I've played. Even though I beat it over a week ago, I've still been playing it pretty steady. I highly recommend you check this game out if you're a 360 owner - and if not, it might be time to seriously consider making that investment. - [Xbox 360 Through an LCD: Cable Comparison](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/xbox-360-through-an-lcd-cable-comparison/): Over the past couple months, I've had a number of people ask how my 21" widescreen LCD performs with the Xbox 360. To be honest, I haven't really been using my monitor for gaming much since one my primary reasons for getting a 360 was to get myself away from this chair once in a while. I'm currently using my 27" Sony Trinitron television with the S-Video cable. It's the best resolution I can get on my standard definition television and it'll hold me over until I can drop the cash for an HDTV. Since I've already got 2 cables in my position, I went out and picked up the VGA cable for the 360 to do a little comparison. The results blew me away! - [GRAW Pissed Me Off](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/graw-pissed-me-off/): First off, GRAW is quite possibly the dumbest acronym ever. How about we just call it GR3? Sounds good... As I mentioned in my last post, I picked up an Xbox 360 and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (yes, the full name is pretty dumb too) last weekend. I've been playing it quite a bit and have almost completed the single player campaign. I think I just wrapped up the eighth or ninth mission of eleven. Really enjoying the game, until this last mission. Let me quote the back of the GR3 box... - [Changing Gears... Again](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/changing-gears-again/): For as long as I've been a PC gamer, I've spent about equal time hating it as I have loving it. I really wish I could just let it go - pick up an Xbox 360 and never look back. That was me, 4 months ago. 2 nights ago - Thursday, March 9 2006, I kicked the habit. First thing Friday morning, I went out and bought a 360 and have been playing the shit out Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter all weekend and couldn't be happier! - [Busted](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/busted/): Sunday morning I was presented with a blank screen after firing up my PC. Switched over to the Mac and everything's a-ok. Son-of-a! Time for a new video card. I jumped on the local shop websites to see what was in stock. What do you know... nothing! Suddenly my plans to do absolutely nothing turned into a road trip to pick up a new video card. Luckily, I was able to score the new AGP version of the Nvidia 7800 for a reasonable price and only half an hour out of the way. I know it's time to make the jump to a PCI-Express enabled mother board, but that means a new processor and reformatting so I'm holding out and will just get a whole new machine. I was going to upgrade any more on my current rig, but this was kind of unavoidable. And I'm not going to complain about having a 7800 in my box. ;-) - [Black: Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/black-review/): Overall, I had some fun playing Black. I don't see myself playing through the entire game again. I've already played some of the levels through a second time, which was just as fun if not more with infinite ammo. - [The Time to Reboot is Nearly Upon Us](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/the-time-to-reboot-is-nearly-upon-us/): May 1st is quickly approaching. I can't believe we're almost into March already! Where has the time gone? What does May 1 mean to you? It's not only the day I emerged from my Mother's womb (oh man, apparently I've been watching too much Family Guy), but a day when hundreds of designers band together to launch shiny new websites as part of the CSS Reboot. Chances are, a great deal of you had no idea who the hell I was before the last November 1st Reboot. This could be your time to shine. The fine folks over at Webjillion have launched a great new site for this May's Reboot and asked if I would be into doing an interview to share my experience. Of course I agreed to help them out. If you yourself run a site and could use some fresh eyes or maybe would like to expand your reach. You should consider signing up for the May 1 CSS Reboot. - [Kratos' Final Journey, God of War III](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/kratos-final-journey-god-of-war-iii/): God of War III is the first outing for Kratos developed for the PlayStation 3 and his last, as it is supposedly the final chapter in a trilogy. Yet the ending (or rather, the 15 second scene after the end credits) makes you wonder if this is will really be the last we'll see of the sadistic Spartan. None the less, Kratos is back, and he's hell-bent on destroying the ruler of Olympus, and his father, Zeus. This third and final installment picks up right where its predecessor left off, and holds a tight grip on the formula that has earned it such high praise. - [Battlefield: Bad Company 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/battlefield-bad-company-2/): The Battlefield franchise is one of my personal favourites, dating back to the first game in the series – Battlefield 1942, which debuted on the PC back in 2002. I've played every release since, with the exception of BF2142, since I'm no longer into PC gaming. Naturally, I snagged Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on day-one, and have been playing it steady for the past couple weeks. The campaign has long since been completed, and the multiplayer end of the game has a firm grasp on my testicles. - [Mass Effect 2 - Enough Said](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/mass-effect-2-enough-said/): Mass Effect was a game I was completely prepared to pass by without a second look. After-all, it was an RPG from the guys that made the original Knights of the Old Republic. While that excited many people, it turned me off instantly. I have never been a huge RPG fan, and the turn-based combat of KOTOR did nothing for me. After hearing so many great things about Mass Effect, I picked it up on sale one day, and ended up playing it through 3 full times. Needless to say, its sequel is a game I had been looking forward to even before it was officially announced. Now it's here, I'm on my second play-through, and even as I'm writing this, I'm itching to drop everything and jump back into it. Mass Effect 2 bests its predecessor in every way, and that's saying a lot! - [How to Handle Prospective Client Calls](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/how-to-handle-prospective-client-calls/): One of the toughest things a freelancer faces, is managing one’s schedule and allotting enough time for all the things that he or she is responsible for. This is much different than what someone at a typical day job would face. Instead of simply managing your own tasks, you have several areas that need to […] - [Bulletproof Post Thumbnails in WordPress 2.9](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/bulletproof-post-thumbnails-in-wordpress-2-9/): Over the past few weeks I’ve been working on an update for my video-centric WordPress theme, Wave. It’s a bit overdue, but every time I sit down with it, I end up packing something new in that will definitely please my customers and will hopefully justify the wait. Since WordPress 2.9 was recently released, I […] - [Apple Has Ruined Me for Everyone Else](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/apple-has-ruined-me-for-everyone-else/): I can already hear some of my PC readers crying, “Apple fanboi!” And rightly so. Although, it was never my intention to be one of those guys. I made the switch to Apple just over 3 years ago, after growing tired of the upgrades and OS re-installs that coincide with running a PC. Now, all […] - [New Super Mario Bros. Wii Reels in Nostalgic Gamers](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/new-super-mario-bros-wii-reels-in-nostalgic-gamers/): A game like New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a no-brainer for veteran gamers who grew up with and loved the classic Nintendo 2D platformers. Chances are, if you look back on Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World with fond memories, you won’t find much to complain about in New Super Mario Bros. […] - [Assassin's Creed II is a Perfect Sequel](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/assassins-creed-ii-is-a-perfect-sequel/): Assassin’s Creed was a huge hit for some, a massive fail for others. While I found great pleasure in roaming the countryside on horseback, picking fights with anyone who so much as looked in my direction. Others found it mundane and the sheer lack of variation in mission objectives tedious. Combat was also an acquired […] - [Twelve South Makes Awesome Stuff for Your Mac](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/twelve-south-makes-awesome-stuff-for-your-mac/): A few months back I made the switch from iMac to MacBook Pro + Cinema Display. Mostly for the added portability the MBP brings to the table. One problem I was presented with right out of the gate, was where to put the MBP while I was working. I have an mStand, but I don’t […] - [My Kind of Handheld Gaming](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-kind-of-handheld-gaming/): I’ve never been big on handheld gaming, especially in recent years. This has a lot to do with my work situation and the fact that I’m very much a home body. Given that whenever I’m on the move, I’m typically the one behind the wheel, there simply aren’t many opportunities for me to spend time […] - [Another Great Adventure With Ratchet & Clank](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/another-great-adventure-with-ratchet-clank/): Though the Ratchet & Clank series has been around since the early days of the PS2, my first experience with the lovable Lombax and his robotic buddy was with the 2007 release of Tools of Destruction on the PS3. I was immediately drawn into the game, as it possessed just the right amount of platforming […] - [Uncharted 2 Really is That Good](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/uncharted-2-really-is-that-good/): Uncharted: Drake's Fortune came out of nowhere, completely captivated and engaged me with a beautiful setting, fantastic voice acting which made the characters believable and likable, and a story that I was wholeheartedly interested in. The fact that everything else was equally top notch, placed Uncharted on my top games of this generation list. Whenever a friend picked up a PS3, the first recommendation I made was Uncharted. So needless to say, its sequel is a game I've been looking forward to since I completed the original game, nearly two years ago. - [Let's Not Forget About Halo 3: ODST](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lets-not-forget-about-halo-3-odst/): Halo 3: ODST, initially called Halo 3: Recon, was intended to be a PC style expansion pack for Halo 3. But during it's development, the game evolved into a full-fledged package worthy of a standard retail game's price tag. If you're a fan of the Halo series and enjoy the fictional lore, Halo 3: ODST is a no-brainer. - [1000 ThemeForest Sales = Massive Giveway!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/mp/1000-themeforest-sales-massive-giveway/): It’s been nearly 5 months since my first theme, Black Aperture was released on ThemeForest. Sales have been fairly consistent even though the frequency at which I have been pushing themes out has dwindled. While I’ve only put out 1 theme since I was initially contracted to development 5 themes, I’ve continued to offer free […] - [Sony's PlayStation Holiday Preview '09](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/sonys-playstation-holiday-preview-09/): I have been lucky enough to receive invites to a few of Microsoft's annual press gatherings over the years, but this was my first time hitting up a Sony event. To say I was excited would be an understatement. After all, if you exclude all of the multi-platform games coming out this quarter and next, there aren't a whole lot of exclusives. But of the exclusives there are, PS3 has a number of heavy hitters lined up that will make PS3 owners happy, and make Xbox 360 gamers seriously consider picking up a PS3 Slim. - [X'09 - Microsoft's Holiday Preview Event](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/x09-microsofts-holiday-preview-event/): Every year Microsoft holds a little get-together in Toronto around this time to showcase the games and other new things that are headed to their platform in the coming months. X’09 took place a couple days ago, and I was lucky enough to get an invite. Expectations were high, as I’ve been to a few […] - [Need for Speed: Shift is the Bastard Child of Sim Racers](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/need-for-speed-shift-is-the-bastard-child-of-sim-racers/): NFS: Shift is the best game the series has seen in recent years. But it's not quite as good as other games in the genre. It does everything well, but there isn't a whole lot if doesn't exceptionally well. With other races like Forza 3 and Gran Turismo 5 on the horizon, it's hard to tell you to go out and buy this game, as both will likely surpass NFS: Shift. That said, I really enjoyed the time I spent playing this game and would recommend it as a solid rental. - [The Beatles: Rock Band](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-beatles-rock-band/): First off, I'm not the world's biggest fan of The Beatles. In all honesty, I'm not really a fan at all. Prior to the release of The Beatles: Rock Band, there wasn't an album by the The Beatles to be found in my iTunes library. But leading up to the release of this game, I found myself getting more and more excited about rocking out to some of the most well known songs in the history of pop music, and I was not let down. Or at least, not right away. - [Quick Review: Trials HD](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/quick-review-trials-hd/): With August being such a busy month, I wasn't able to find time to review a couple games that I played during that time. Typically, the summer months are a bit of a drought when it comes to new game releases, and this year was no exception. It seems the folks at Microsoft have picked up on this and hold their bigger Xbox Live Arcade title releases until July and August, dubbing these months the "Summer of Arcade." For the second year running, we've been treated to some excellent games topping out at 1200 Microsoft Points. Trials HD being one that grabbed my attention, and that of plenty of my Xbox Live friends. - [Batman: Arkham Asylum is an Instant Classic](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/batman-arkham-asylum-is-an-instant-classic/): Batman has had a terrific run on the big screen in recent years, but his history in video games has been nothing short of abysmal. Thankfully, Batman: Arkham Asylum finally does some justice to one of comic book's most loved heroes. Right from the get-go, the story sucks you in and keeps a firm grasp until the moment the maniacal Joker is taken down by The Dark Knight and the city of Gotham is saved, once again. - [Times, They Are A-Changing](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/times-they-are-a-changing/): In mid-July, I sat down and took a good look at my online presence. How I portrayed myself as a person, a professional, and what role my website played in all of this. When I first launched my blog over 5 years ago, I was only doing freelance work part time, so my portfolio was […] - [Returning to the Pacific in Battlefield 1943](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/returning-to-the-pacific-in-battlefield-1943/): It's been nearly 7 years since the release of Battlefield 1942, but I often find myself looking back on the countless hours I spent playing that game with fond memories. It was not only a blast to play, but also quite influential in that it paved the way for many online conquest style games to follow. Needless to say, I was just a little excited when I caught wind of Battlefield 1943 - a pseudo remake of this classic game. Now it's here, in our hands, and it's bloody brilliant! - [Red Faction: Guerrilla is Just Plain Fun!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/red-faction-guerrilla-is-just-plain-fun/): Red Faction: Guerrilla is a game that took me by surprise in a big way. I've played previous Red Faction games, and while they stood their ground, they were never games that you talked about long after you finished playing. RFG is the exception to the series, and easily one of the most flat-out fun games I've played. - [I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-aint-afraid-of-no-ghosts/): Ghostbusters: The Video Game is one that fans of the movies will love, without a doubt. It's very true to the source material and a lot of fun, especially early on. But with its short campaign and questionable online play, it's hard to give it a solid "go out and buy this now!" recommendation. I bought it, since my wife was crazy excited to get her hands on it as well, and my eldest daughter is now playing it too. So definitely money well spent in my household. - [Yet Another Awesome PS3 Exclusive - inFamous](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/yet-another-awesome-ps3-exclusive-infamous/): Every so often a game comes along with near perfect execution on all fronts. inFamous, is one of those games. Remember Crackdown? inFamous is similar in that it's an open-world action game with precise, responsive controls that allow you to effortlessly dole out a ridiculous amount of pain on your enemies, and anyone else that happens to get in your way. With an emphasis on fun, inFamous is easily one of the best PlayStation 3 exclusive titles, and one that will likely be in my top 5 for this year. - [Hitting the WordPress Theme Market with a Vengeance](https://mattbrett.com/blog/wordpress/hitting-the-wordpress-theme-market-with-a-vengeance/): Well, not exactly. But it makes for a good title, doesn't it? I am however, on a bit of a theme development binge this month and next. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that last week I released the first of many themes on ThemeForest (affiliate link) - a marketplace for themes and templates spanning many platforms. - [My New Favourite Gaming Season - The Spring Slump](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-new-favourite-gaming-season-the-spring-slump/): I’ve often referred to the holiday season as “My Favourite Time of Year”, and that’s due to the onslaught of new games we’re showered with for what seems like weeks on end. But this year, I’ve discovered the joys of the down season – a time when I would normally be looking ahead to distant […] - [Downloading TV Shows - Network Sharing Goodness](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/downloading-tv-shows-network-sharing-goodness/): A few months ago I wrote about downloading TV shows, and the steps I take that allow me to watch them in the living room on the main TV. I was taken back by the feedback I received and surprised how many people were doing something similar, as opposed to taking one of the many simpler routes. Many great tips and techniques were shared, and I've done a lot of research and consideration since. While I haven't come up with the end-all-be-all solution, I've eased the process and expanded the reach. - [(No Longer) Speaking at WordCamp Toronto '09](https://mattbrett.com/blog/wordpress/speaking-at-wordcamp-toronto-2009/): I’m very pleased and excited to officially announce that I’ll be speaking at WordCamp Toronto 2009, which takes place the weekend of May 8-10. When I first caught wind of the event, I was immediately interested in attending. Having never been to a web development conference before, and with WordCamp Toronto being so close to […] - [Tax Time as a Freelancer](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/tax-time-as-a-freelancer/): I never thought I’d see the day when I wrote about income tax, but it seems many people are unaware of the benefits working freelance has when it comes to write-offs. Especially if you’re working from home. While I didn’t exactly have a smile on my face when I left the accountant last week, I […] - [I Knew I'd Love Resident Evil 5](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-knew-id-love-resident-evil-5/): The Resident Evil series is one that you either love or hate. There doesn’t seem to be much in between, and for obvious reasons such as strict control schemes, odd camera angels, and a clunky inventory system that make Resident Evil 5, like it’s predecessors, feel a little out-dated. My first venture into the RE […] - [Killzone 2 Was Worth the Wait](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/killzone-2-was-worth-the-wait/): This is where I start raving about Killzone 2 and my readership that prefers Xbox 360 either turns their head or rolls their eyes. Let me be the first to say that up until about the beginning of February, I had the same immediate reaction to Killzone 2. After the reviews starting pouring in, most […] - [Skate 2 is Rad, but...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/skate-2-is-rad-but/): It's hard to believe it's already been a year and a half since Skate was released. And yet, I would have happily waited longer if it meant some extra polish on the sequel. While Skate 2 takes steps to further innovate the control scheme, add some fun new multiplayer modes, and brings an entirely new massive city to explore, it falls flat on its face in many of the same areas its predecessor did. Which is truly saddening, to say the least. When I first sat down with Skate 2, I had a checklist in my head of issues that I hoped I didn't see. It wasn't long before I had witnessed all of them, and added some new annoyances to my list. - [F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/fear-2-project-origin/): It’s been over 2 years since I played and loved the original F.E.A.R.. Since then, there have been a couple expansion packs which were handled by a different developer which never really lived up to the first game. The console ports of the original game also seemed to fall short and admittedly, this contributed to […] - [I Almost Forgot to Write About Call of Duty: World at War](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-almost-forgot-to-write-about-call-of-duty-world-at-war/): In Call of Duty: World at War, the series makes a jump back to World War 2 and development was handled by the folks at Treyarch. Call of Duty originated with Infinity Ward, who handled the first, second, and fourth games. Treyarch developed the Xbox/PS2 exclusive titles a few years back, along with Call of […] - [Resident Evil 5 Control Schemes = Failure in North America](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/resident-evil-5-control-schemes-failure-in-north-america/): When the hotly anticipated Resident Evil 5 demo hit the Xbox Live Marketplace early last week, I added it to my queue first thing in the morning so I could play as soon as my work day was done. Being a long time fan of the series, and having played through Resident Evil 4 at […] - [The Return of My Bare Bones Stylesheet](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/the-return-of-my-bare-bones-stylesheet/): Update: Bare Bones Stylesheet now has a permanent home where documentation can be found and all future releases will be posted. Nearly two years ago, I introduced my Bare Bones Stylesheet – the basis for every project I’ve worked on since that time. It’s not a full blown framework, but rather a collection of selectors […] - [Downloading TV Shows - There Has to Be an Easier Way](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/downloading-tv-shows-there-has-to-be-an-easier-way/): When it comes to watching television shows, a lot has changed over the years. For the most part, we’ve had a way of recording shows and watching them later. For a long time, a VCR was our best bet. Now we have PVRs, on demand channels, digital distribution services, and more manual avenues like downloading […] - [Tomb Raider Underworld is a True Test of Patience](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tomb-raider-underworld-is-a-true-test-of-patience/): Lara and I have had a pretty good relationship to date. For the third consecutive year, we’ve hooked up and spent 12-15 enjoyable hours tracking down ancient treasures and weapons, solving massive puzzles, all the while collecting goodies and defeating baddies. We’ve traveled the world a few times over and have always parted ways with […] - [My 2008 Gaming List from Top to Bottom](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/my-2008-gaming-list-from-top-to-bottom/): Aside from a couple of the big guys in the gaming industry, I don’t indulge in year end top XX lists. In fact, I’ve hit “mark all as read” in my feed reader more times over this past week than I likely did over the course of this year. But for some reason, I felt […] - [You're Going to Have to Force-Feed Me Prince of Persia](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/youre-going-to-have-to-force-feed-me-prince-of-persia/): Approaching the holiday season, I couldn't have been more excited to get my hands on the new Prince of Persia title. One of our family rules prevented me from doing so until after Christmas, though. The one that states that we aren't permitted to rent or buy anything that is on our own Christmas wish list - and with Prince of Persia being one of my top 3 games, I had to refrain from basking in the glory of a promising new tale in a beautiful new world. The post release reviews didn't help one bit, as most were raving about the new direction the Prince has taken. - [I Wasn't Supposed to Like Fable II](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-wasnt-supposed-to-like-fable-2/): Fable 2 is a game I never saw myself playing. As we approached the release date, and with every bit of gameplay footage that was released, I found that I was distancing myself further and further. For starters, I'm not a big RPG gamer. I really enjoyed Mass Effect, but I believed that to be a fluke. The fantasy genre isn't at the top of my list, either. And here we are, with a fantasy RPG. Naturally, it had little appeal from the get-go. But I found myself in a spot where every new game I wanted to play was on my Christmas list (which means I can't rent or buy them until after the holidays), so I decided to give it a rent... and I'm glad I did! - [Some Great New Features Coming to WordPress in Version 2.7](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/some-great-new-features-coming-to-wordpress-in-version-27/): I’ve been running WordPress 2.7 since beta 1 on my local dev server, along with a recent client site which required threaded comments. Instead of going with Brian’s Threaded Comments plugin, which I’ve used a few times myself including my own blog, we made the decision to move forward with 2.7 despite it still being […] - [Left 4 Dead is Ridiculously Fun!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/left-4-dead-is-ridiculously-fun/): Leave it to Valve to create a game with no story, no character development, virtually no single player experience, but it's averaging close to 90%. There isn't much to Left 4 Dead, but that's part of what makes it so great! If you've played a shooter before, you can jump right in and start blasting zombies while only a handful of hints will pop-up to make sure you're on track. It's simple nature makes it extremely accessible, and the 4 player online co-op couldn't be more fun! - [Gears of War 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/gears-of-war-2/): It goes without sayings that Gears of War 2 is a great game. Epic has taken Gears of War and improved every aspect that could have used some tweaking, added a whole pile of new enemies, weapons, game modes, and completely changed the landscape. At the same time, expanding Unreal Engine 3's capabilities to allow for bigger and more brutal battles. Gears of War 2 steps it up a notch on every level, and just like its predecessor, will remain in my collection indefinitely. - [Mirror's Edge was a Bit of a Let Down](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/mirrors-edge-was-a-bit-of-a-let-down/): As we approached the holiday gaming flood, Mirror’s Edge was on my “it has potential” list as opposed to my “must buy” list. After getting my hands on the demo a couple weeks prior to its release, that changed. But with so many games just out, and still a handful of big titles on the […] - [Dead Space](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/dead-space/): When I first caught wind of Dead Space, I brushed it off pretty quickly. It seemed like we were in for yet another dark shooter set in a stagnant industrial environment, with loads of ugly alien beings jumping out at you. Actually, that’s exactly what it is, but in a really good way. Think Doom […] - [THiCK - a Premium Theme for WordPress](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/thick-a-premium-theme-for-wordpress/): Over the years, I’ve mentioned on several occasions that I wanted very much to release some themes of my own. Whether it be premium or free releases, it’s always something I wanted to do. But it’s just never happened, and the main issue has always been time. I’ve have grand ideas for themes, but knew […] - [I Got My RRoD Xbox 360 Fixed, No Thanks to Microsoft](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-got-my-rrod-xbox-360-fixed-no-thanks-to-microsoft/): Two weeks ago today, I turned on my Xbox 360 and was greeted by 3 glorious red lights. Never in my life, have I gone from being in a perfectly great mood to completely filled with rage in such a short span. This is after all, my fourth Xbox 360 to fall victim to one […] - [Resistance 2... meh.](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/resistance-2-meh/): While my dead Xbox 360 sits in my entertainment unit, and with the release date for Gears of War 2 drawing closer, I had come to accept the possibility of missing the boat on November 7. Looking for an upside to this dismal situation, I turned to PlayStation 3’s hallmark shooter, Resistance 2. With a […] - [LittleBigPlanet](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/littlebigplanet/): It's hard to find a starting point when the subject you're discussing is of such vast brilliance as LittleBigPlanet. It's been broken down into three simple words - Play, Create, Share. And that about sums it up nicely, but at the same time, doesn't really scratch the surface at all. In short, LittleBigPlanet is like nothing you've experience thus far. It's simple and straight forward one moment, and absurdly complex the next. But all the while, it remains brilliant and fun. - [I Could Almost Live Without My Xbox 360](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-could-almost-live-without-my-xbox-360/): If it weren’t for the Xbox 360’s flawed hardware, I likely wouldn’t even own a PlayStation 3. I initially picked one up back in August of ’07 when both of my Xbox 360s died within a week of each other. Since then, I’ve only played a handful of games and used my PS3 mostly as […] - [Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/brothers-in-arms-hells-highway/): I couldn't have been more thrilled to reprise the role of Staff Sergeant Matt Baker of the 101st Airborne Division in Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. After all, it's been years since a truly great WWII shooter has graced the market. And while the genre has definitely been over-saturated, I'm always willing to make room for one more in my collection if it's of the stature of the Brothers in Arms series. - [Redesign '08: Structure and Style](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/redesign-08-structure-and-style/): It’s almost a month to the day since I launched my redesign, and I figure it’s about time that I open up in regards to how this all came together, and later, how everything works. My previous design was online for nearly 3 years, and shortly after launch, I wrote a couple articles sharing some […] - [I Have Nothing Good to Say About Mercenaries 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-have-nothing-good-to-say-about-mercenaries-2/): I grew up hearing the phrase, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all.” all too often. But there’s no way I’m biting my tongue this time. The entire time I spent playing Mercenaries 2, I was trying to overlook the bugs and flaws in hopes that the core game would […] - [How I'm Saving My Freelance Career](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/how-im-saving-my-freelance-career/): When I made the jump back into freelance work in March of this year, I didn’t have much time to get my plan of attack in order. As a matter of fact, I pretty much just started taking on clients again without really giving it a second thought. I had only been out of the […] - [How I May Have Sabotaged My Freelance Career](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/how-i-may-have-sabotaged-my-freelance-career/): One thing I’ve always wanted to do, is write more on topics pertaining to my work. From design techniques to WordPress tips, and even the business side of freelancing. I just never get around to it, and usually attribute my hectic work schedule to this short-coming. But I find myself in a situation I never […] - [At Long Last...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/at-long-last/): It's been nearly three years since I broke onto the scene with my previous design. And for many reasons, I was in no rush to replace it. But at the same time, I've been itching to redesign for quite some time. In fact, if you follow me on Twitter or Flickr, you've seen mention and proof of a redesign in progress for what seems like, ever. I'm proud and excited to be releasing my latest effort into the wild, at long last! If you're reading this in your feed reader, be sure to hit my domain to check it out. - [We're Quickly Approaching My Favourite Time of Year](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/were-quickly-approaching-my-favourite-time-of-year/): Every year post-E3, I like to write about the event and talk about all the things that got me excited. For one reason or another, I didn’t get around to it this year. That’s not to say that I wasn’t paying attention – I had a browser window open with streaming video of each of […] - [I Wanted to Love Soulcalibur IV](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/i-wanted-to-love-soulcalibur-iv/): I don’t play many fighting games, although I have in the past. I spent many, many quarters on Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat back in the day, but when things started getting crazy complex, I lost interest. Trying to remember 25 hit combos and countless special and finishing moves for dozens of characters isn’t […] - [The King of Dual Analog Stick Shooters Has Returned](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-king-of-dual-analog-stick-shooters-returns/): If you guessed Geometry Wars, you’re absolutely right! This past Wednesday, Xbox 360 gamers were treated to yet another top notch exclusive title on Xbox Live Arcade – Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. Everything that brought GW success and popularity is fully in-tact, but every aspect of the game has been tweaked to as close […] - [Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/rock-band-2-or-guitar-hero-world-tour/): For one reason or another, I never spent as much time playing drums in Rock Band as I would have liked. Mainly, the addition of the fourth member to the Brett household. But also from a technical standpoint, the Rock Band kit isn’t exactly a work of art. Sure, it does the job. But it’s […] - [In Good Company](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/in-good-company/): While my history with the Battlefield series has its ups and downs, my experience with Bad Company has been on the up side of things from the get-go. While many things have changed, it still feels very much like a Battlefield game. Even the single player campaign plays like a multiplayer game – when you […] - [Music From the Battlefield](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/music-from-the-battlefield/): I’ve had mixed emotions towards the latest installation in the Battlefield franchise, Bad Company. Mostly due to my history with the series. I played Battlefield 1942 to death. Battlefield Vietnam saw quite a bit of action on my old PC gaming rig as well. By the time Battlefield 2 came out, my PC was a […] - [Tidy up Your Blu-ray Movies in Delicious Library 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/tidy-up-your-blu-ray-movies-in-delicious-library-2/): I managed to get in on the Delicious Library 2 beta a few months prior to launch. After filing a bug report I was handed an invite, and was quite pleased to accept. During my time with the beta, I struggled with having my media displayed using the appropriate jewel cases. Some of the preview […] - [Canada is Finally Catching Up, but We're Still Lame](https://mattbrett.com/blog/rants/canada-is-finally-catching-up-but-were-still-lame/): When it comes to entertainment in Canada, we’re so behind the times. We’re on par with the US when it comes to movie releases and TV scheduling, but any means to obtain said entertainment aside from the traditional hard copies is severely lacking. Typically, a service that is released in the US will make it […] - [A Strange Turn of Events](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/a-strange-turn-of-events/): Over the past month or so, I’ve found that my schedule has taken a more hectic and unpredictable turn. Obviously, having a baby around really shakes thing up and it’s pretty hard to plan anything. Whether that be an outing on the weekend, or simply planning to catch up on some TV or gaming in […] - [FAQ: "How do you build your WordPress themes?"](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/faq-how-do-you-build-your-wordpress-themes/): This is probably the single most frequently asked question that arrives in my inbox, or elsewhere. And for good reason, I suppose. Seeing how I've been building sites on top of WordPress exclusively for about 3 years now. There are many different routes you can take when building a theme, and I've pretty much streamlined my method over the past couple years. Granted, there are always exceptions and I've found that I can't work from a base template. Instead, I build "themes" from the ground-up, but with a little help. Here's how... - [Chris Pirillo's WicketPixie - A New Breed of WordPress Theme](https://mattbrett.com/blog/wordpress/chris-pirillos-wicketpixie-a-new-breed-of-wordpress-theme/): Shortly after making my return to freelance web design, a familiar name appeared in my inbox. Not someone I knew personally, but someone I knew of. It seemed Chris Pirillo was in need of a redesign and had been pointed in my direction. When I got talking to Chris about what he was after, I […] - [Nintendo Tries, When it Counts](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/nintendo-tries-when-it-counts/): I had been thinking about reviewing Mario Kart Wii since I picked it up a few weeks ago, but didn’t really have much to say about it. The first time I sat down to write a quick draft, I started the title with, “Mario Kart Wii is More of the Same…” Hold the phone! This […] - [Remember When Sony Told Us Tilt Controls Were the Next Big Thing?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/remember-when-sony-told-us-tilt-controls-were-the-next-big-thing/): Man, were they wrong! Or rather, their implementation of motion sensitive controls was so far from what people wanted in games. After all, despite having a massively mediocre library of games, the Wii is still selling like it's going out of style. But Sony knew they were lame all along. They just decided to try and piss on our leg and tell us it's raining, instead of admitting the truth - they were in the middle of a lawsuit over the DualShock's vibration functionality and weren't able to ship the controller with said function. Just over a year after the PlayStation 3's release, we have in our hands, the DualShock 3. AKA, the controller that should have shipped with the PS3 to begin with. - [Super Smash Bros. Brawl is More of the Same, but Tons of Fun](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/super-smash-bros-brawl-is-more-of-the-same-but-tons-of-fun/): It’s no secret that I’m not the biggest fan of the Wii, but lately I’ve been spending a lot of time with it. And more importantly, having a lot of fun. The one aspect of Nintendo’s latest venture that no one can deny, is that it appeals to everyone from infants to the elderly, and […] - [The Ones that Slipped Through the Cracks](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-ones-that-slipped-through-the-cracks/): With having a new baby and recently going back to freelance work, my schedule/routine has been thrown off quite a bit. It’s pretty tough to plan… anything, actually. Let alone, setting aside some dedicated time for gaming. I’ve basically just been parking my ass on the couch whenever it’s free and the baby’s either sleeping […] - [Mario and I, We Go Way Back](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/mario-and-i-we-go-way-back/): Christmas 1986. I couldn’t have been more stoked when I saw that Santa had left me a Nintendo Entertainment System – yup, I was hella good that year! I played Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt for days on end. Over 20 years later, I find myself still passing the time with Mario. And while […] - [Back Where I Belong...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/back-where-i-belong/): This is definitely not news for those following me on Twitter, as I've been dropping hints over the past couple weeks and finally came right out and said it a few nights ago. But for everyone else, I'm pleased to announce that I've journeyed back to the land of freelance web design and I have no intentions on leaving. - [Taming Mail and Bulletproof Backups](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/taming-mail-and-bulletproof-backups/): About a month ago, I went on a productivity binge. I knew there was room to improve my workflow, so I began evaluating the tools I use and how I was using them. At the same time, I stepped back from my 24″ screen and had a good look at my iMac. It’s been just […] - [Microsoft Never Cease to Disappoint Me](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/microsoft-never-cease-to-disappoint-me/): …although, I wish that trend would come to an end. I couldn’t have been happier this morning, when I read the news that Toshiba had come to their senses and dumped HD DVD. Instead of relaxing on the couch while I sipped my morning coffee, I listed my HD DVD add-on and all my movies […] - [Burnout Paradise, a Great Franchise Returns!](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/burnout-paradise-a-great-franchise-returns/): About two months ago, I was hating on Burnout Paradise something fierce. And with good reason! A demo was released that poorly represented the incredible game that is the full Burnout Paradise experience. I’ve never seen an upset over a demo quite like this, and it definitely proves that they don’t work for every game. […] - [PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360: Price Comparison Revisited](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/playstation-3-vs-xbox-360-price-comparison-revisited/): It’s been 6 months since I wrote the first entry in my PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360 series, and much has changed. Since the time of writing, both consoles have stepped up to release a higher end bundle, along with a core package with intentions of meeting everyone’s needs. While the PS3’s packages don’t vary […] - [Addison Elizabeth Brett](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/addison-elizabeth-brett/): On Tuesday, January 22nd at 8:47pm, as Deanna squeezed my hand while I wiped away the tears from her tightly shut eyes, I relayed the words, “She’s here! Our baby girl is finally here.” From that moment, everything I knew about myself and my family changed. I watched as my tiny daughter struggled to open […] - [Branching Out, While Reaching Out](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/branching-out-while-reaching-out/): It’s been a couple years now, since the CSS Reboot that lead to the internets knowing who the heck “Matt Brett” is. I’ve done a lot in that time. Produced dozens of ramblings about video games, and life in general. Made a name for myself as a decent designer. Launched a couple of projects that […] - [Reminiscing With Unreal Tournament 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/reminiscing-with-unreal-tournament-3/): Just when I had accepted the fact that I wouldn’t be getting any new games until the holidays (which are now upon us), Sony pulls one out of their ass and manages to get the PlayStation 3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 shipped on December 10. In case you weren’t following – originally, UT3 was […] - [Uncharted: Drake's Fortune](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/uncharted-drakes-fortune/): The fact that I bought my PlayStation 3 back in August and have only owned a total of 2 games in that time is a little unsettling. What’s worse, is previous to last week, I only had Warhawk in my collection as I had traded in Resistance a couple months back. Needless to say, my […] - [Burnout Paradise, a Great Franchise Ruined](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/burnout-paradise-a-great-franchise-ruined/): These past couple weeks have brought some major disappointments. It’s actually to the point now where I’m dreading anything new coming along that I’ve been anticipating as it’s likely to be crap. Let’s do a quick re-cap – XBL Video Marketplace is released in Canada with garbage line-up and ridiculously high prices. Xbox Originals launches […] - [A Disappointing Day, Brought to You by Microsoft](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/a-disappointing-day-brought-to-you-by-microsoft/): Today was a big day for Xbox 360 owners around the world. Microsoft rolled out the Fall update, along with Xbox Originals, and announced a launch date of December 11 for the Video Marketplace in Europe and Canada. The second major Dashboard update for this year packs quite a punch with a few major features, along with a massive list of smaller fixes and additions. So, how is that disappointing? - [Assassin's Creed is Consuming My Life](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/assassins-creed-is-consuming-my-life/): Tuesday, November 13th was an odd day. The long awaited and highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed was released and the reviews started to make their way online. The way it all played out was what made it odd. 1UP seemed be the first to get their review online and it made its rounds like wild fire. […] - [Call of Duty 4 Simply Couldn't Wait](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/call-of-duty-4-simply-couldnt-wait/): Just under two weeks ago, I wrote about having to budget my gaming time and outlined the titles I’m currently playing and those that will take a back seat for the time being. With nearly every game I’ve played over the past few months being a shooter, I figured Call of Duty 4 could wait. […] - [What I'm Playing, What I'm Not and What Will Have to Wait](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/what-im-playing-what-im-not-and-what-will-have-to-wait/): Just after this year’s E3, I wrote about all the great games that are coming out by the end of this year and broke them down into two lists. Games I will most likely buy and others that I’m on the fence about. The year isn’t up yet and we’re actually in the calm before […] - [Fall '07 Life Update](https://mattbrett.com/blog/family/fall-07-life-update/): It's been months since I've written anything remotely personal. I think my daily use of Twitter and Flickr have had a lot to do with that. I do get all of that out there, but never much at a time given Twitter's 140 character limit, and all. There's a lot going on in my life right now and things be a-changing. Of course, this is to be expected when you're bringing a baby into the world. - [Inside The Orange Box: Portal](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/inside-the-orange-box-portal/): The Orange Box is jammed packed will all sorts of first person shooting goodness. Valve has covered all the bases here and delivered what is without a doubt the single greatest bundle of games to date. When I was finally holding The Orange Box in hand, I knew exactly what I was going to be […] - [Not Quite Ready to Write About Halo 3, Yet](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/not-quite-ready-to-write-about-halo-3-yet/): I’m sure some of you are surprised with it being over a week now since Halo 3 was released and I’m yet to write about it. In fact, I have no intentions on really getting into it just yet as I still have so much to take in. It really is a complete package. Of […] - [How-To: Capture Xbox 360 Video Footage on an iMac](https://mattbrett.com/blog/geek/how-to-capture-xbox-360-video-footage-on-an-imac/): The most frequently asked question I’ve received over the past 9 months is, “How do you capture Xbox 360 footage on your iMac?” With 2-5 emails or Flickr messages coming in per week, I figured it was time to publish a How-To article. It’s really not an easy or obvious process, which is why it’s […] - [Skate is Rad, but...](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/skate-is-rad-but/): Skate instantly jumped from being a title I was merely keeping an eye on, to being at the top of my must buy list after the release of the demo. After getting a taste of the campaign at X’07, the deal was sealed and I knew I was going to sink a crazy amount of […] - [The Beauty that is Heavenly Sword](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-beauty-that-is-heavenly-sword/): I’m excited to be writing about Heavenly Sword for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, this is post about a PlayStation 3 game. And secondly, I wasn’t expecting to really get into Heavenly Sword. At least, not for a few months. Since it was set to be released a day after Skate and less […] - [BioShock](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/bioshock/): It’s a beautiful thing when a game that has been hyped up over the course of a couple years truly delivers. BioShock does just that, and much more. No one could really for-see how this game would pan out. From the first cinematic trailer where we witnessed the main character pull a young girl out […] - [X'07 Hands-on](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/x07-hands-on/): While the big, annual X’0 event that takes place in Europe about this time every year was canceled, the smaller, more intimate Toronto event still happened, and man was it ever great! I know it seems like every year is the biggest year for gaming, but this year it really is. Looking back on last […] - [Selling Off Dashboard Themes](https://mattbrett.com/blog/freelance/selling-off-dashboard-themes/): After only 8 months of existance, Andrew and I have decided to see if we can sell off our joint venture – Dashboard Themes. There are many factors that lead us down this path, but the big one is time. Neither of us have the time that’s required to take the site to the next […] - [PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360: Comparison Part 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/playstation-3-vs-xbox-360-comparison-part-2/): This generation has seen a couple new, yet very important additions that all of the consoles have. An operating system that underlays your activities and an online store for downloading and purchasing additional content. Looking back, it's hard to imagine how we managed without either for so long. They seem so integral now. The second part of my PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360 comparison looks at both components. - [PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360: Comparison Part 1](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/playstation-3-vs-xbox-360-comparison-part-1/): While I’ve only spent about a week and a half with my PlayStation 3, I’ve got to know it pretty well. But not that well! Since the vast majority of my gaming entries over the past year and a half have been about the Xbox 360, I knew a lot of you would be curious […] - [What More Can I Say About God of War II?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/what-more-can-i-say-about-god-of-war-2/): It’s no secret that the God of War series have been kicking our asses since 2005. But since I never owned a PS2, I pretty much missed the boat entirely. Previous to this past week, I had only spent a few hours with the original God of War when I borrowed a PS2 from a […] - [Star Wars Jedi: Survivor](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/star-wars-jedi-survivor/): How do you top one of the best Star Wars games ever made? Respawn have done it in a lot of ways with the long-awaited sequel to Fallen Order. - [It's Good to be Back on PlayStation](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/its-good-to-be-back-on-playstation/): I don't really know how to describe it, but top-tier PlayStation exclusives are in a league of their own. I missed games with that level of fidelity and finesse. - [Assassin's Creed Valhalla](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/assassins-creed-valhalla/): I had grown tired of the annual release cycle, but Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the best game in the franchise since Black Flag, as far as I'm concerned. - [Minecraft Dungeons](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/minecraft-dungeons/): Minecraft Dungeons is a family-friendly loot-based dungeon crawler set in the Minecraft universe. While mining and crafting is absent, it absolutely looks, sounds, and feels like Minecraft. - [Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order/): Jedi: Fallen Order has turned things around for the franchise in the video game space and delivered an experience that is true to the source material and immensely satisfying. - [Dead Cells](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/dead-cells/): Dead Cells is a fantastic action platformer, with beautifully illustrated 2D landscapes and incredibly satisfying combat. Its risk and reward system will drive you insane, in the best way possible. - [Super Mario Odyssey](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/super-mario-odyssey/): A fantastic entry in the long-running franchise that introduces exciting new mechanics, wonderful new kingdoms, and maintains the best-in-class platforming we’ve come to love and expect. - [Marvel's Spider-Man](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/marvels-spider-man/): This is Spider-Man, unlike we've seen him in recent films and games. There's no origin story here, you dive right into the suit of an experienced and highly skilled webslinger. - [God of War](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/god-of-war/): God of War is an absolute masterpiece. From its simple, yet compelling story, to its deep character development, to its methodical combat, to its breathtaking visuals and wonderful orchestral score. - [Shadow of the Colossus](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/shadow-of-the-colossus/): Shadow of the Colossus for PS4 is a masterpiece, and comes at a time when "games as a service" are consuming (and ruining) modern video games. I for one, needed this. - [Mass Effect: Andromeda](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/mass-effect-andromeda/): Set in a distant galaxy and 600 years after the events of the original trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a new adventure in a familiar universe. - [Gears of War 4](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/gears-of-war-4/): Having played all of the previous games in the series, Gears of War 4 feels like a homecoming of sorts. But that's not to say that newcomers aren't going to enjoy it just as much as veterans. - [Titanfall 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/titanfall-2/): Titanfall 2 makes good on all of its predecessors shortcomings. A fully fleshed out single player campaign. Deeper player and titan customization. And several new titans that vary significantly in their abilities and weapons. - [Battlefield 1](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/battlefield-1/): From its emotionally driven single player campaign, to its massive scale multiplayer battles. Battlefield 1 delivers on every front. - [Destiny: Rise of Iron](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/destiny-rise-of-iron/): If you simply enjoy playing Destiny and want new things to strive for, Rise of Iron provides that. But if you're not a fan of Destiny due to its repetition, I'm afraid Rise of Iron only fuels those flames. - [My Favourite Games of All-Time](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/favourite-games-of-all-time/): After posting my #7FaveGames and engaging with a few others about theirs, I started to recall some incredible moments with other games that aren't on my list. - [Star Wars Battlefront](https://mattbrett.com/blog/reviews/star-wars-battlefront/): It's a game I find myself playing in short bursts, and not for more than a few days in a row. But every time I sit down to play Battlefront, I have a blast. - [Destiny: The Taken King](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/destiny-the-taken-king/): Bungie has been listening to its players, and has made changes in all the right places, and then some. - [Batman: Arkham Knight](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/batman-arkham-knight/): As familiar as it feels for veterans of the series, there are enough new additions to keep things interesting, and a fantastic story ties it all together. - [OlliOlli 2: Welcome to OlliWood](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/olliolli-2/): It's frustrating in just the right way, and I have a really hard time putting it down once I get started. - [Ori and the Blind Forest](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/ori-and-the-blind-forest/): Surprisingly, Ori and the Blind Forest not only exceeded every expectation I had, but proved to be one of the most challenging 2D platformers I've played in years. - [Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor/): I truly hope we see more open world Lord of the Rings games in the future, as Shadow of Mordor made an excellent first impression. - [Destiny](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/destiny/): Destiny has had a firm grip on me since the alpha back in June, with no intentions on loosening. - [inFAMOUS: First Light](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/infamous-first-light/): There's plenty of content here to warrant the $15 price tag, and I highly recommend picking up First Light if you played and enjoyed Second Son. - [The Walking Dead: Season Two](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-walking-dead-season-two/): Despite its technical issues, The Walking Dead: Season Two shouldn't be missed. - [Watch Dogs](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/watch-dogs/): After a lengthy delay, Ubisoft's highly anticipated Watch Dogs is finally in our hands. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations. - [Destiny Alpha Impressions](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/destiny-alpha-impressions/): Having spent a few hours with the alpha, Destiny has jumped to the top of my list of most anticipated games in 2014. In a word, Destiny is impressive. - [Mario Kart 8](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/mario-kart-8/): Mario Kart 8 is as Mario Kart as Mario Kart games come. Better yet, it's the best game in franchise history, hands down. - [LEGO The Hobbit](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lego-the-hobbit/): As far as LEGO games go, LEGO The Hobbit is top notch, with tons of content to keep you busy for hours upon hours. - [inFAMOUS: Second Son](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/infamous-second-son/): PS4's first big post-launch exclusive is here, and it's pretty damn impressive! - [Titanfall](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/titanfall/): Titanfall isn't exactly revolutionary, but it's great fun nonetheless. Does it warrant purchasing an Xbox One? Well, that's really up to you. - [The Last of Us: Left Behind](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-last-of-us-left-behind/): With The Last of Us being one of the best games of the PlayStation 3 generation, I was eager to jump back into it with the first (and only) story-based DLC, Left Behind. - [Super Mario 3D World](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/super-mario-3d-world/): This isn't just another jaunt down a road paved with nostalgia. It's an extremely fun and addictive modern platformer, bursting at the seams with charm, and absolutely loaded with content. - [Rocking My Socks in 2013](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/rocking-socks-2013/): If you find yourself with a couple hours to burn and are open to discovering some great music you may not have heard, have a listen to my Best of 2013 playlist. - [Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/): Assassin's Creed IV could very well be the best game in the series. At least since Ezio's introduction in Assassin's Creed II. - [Battlefield 4](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/battlefield-4/): Battlefield 4 is a game for people who love first person shooters. Its competitive multiplayer is easily some of the best around, and no matter your skill level, can be an enjoyable experience. - [Killzone: Shadow Fall](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/killzone-shadow-fall/): It's a real shame that the Killzone franchise has been in a downward spiral since Killzone 2, with the exception of its multiplayer component, which remains quite fun. - [PlayStation 4 Review](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/playstation-4-review/): Having spent just over a week with it, I'm happy to report that I'm enjoying it immensely, and am quite pleased with my decision to side with Sony at launch for this new generation of video game consoles. - [LEGO Marvel Superheroes](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lego-marvel-superheroes/): With the likes of The Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man, and dozens of other minor heroes coming together to fight a massive threat (quite literally), it's quite cool to see how it all played out. - [Top Games of the PS3 / Xbox 360 Generation](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/top-ps3-xbox-360-games/): They aren't necessarily the best games, or the most impressive, but they're the games that I have the most fond memories of, and will likely stick with me over the years. - [Grand Theft Auto V](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/grand-theft-auto-v/): In a word, Grand Theft Auto V is massive. Everything about it. The world itself, the amount of story missions (69), the amount of side quests, the amount of activities, etc. There is just so much content here, and it's all top quality stuff. - [Rayman Legends](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/rayman-legends/): Legends has polished every aspect of the previous games, and added some new mechanics that make it the best game in the rebooted series to date. If you enjoy platformers in any shape or form, play this game! - [Splinter Cell: Blacklist](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/splinter-cell-blacklist/): I quite enjoyed the single player campaign, and would recommend it for any long term fans of the franchise. While there have been some changes to Sam himself, the Splinter Cell formula is in tact and just as strong as it's ever been. - [The Bureau: XCOM Declassified](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/bureau-xcom-declassified/): While it's not the greatest game I played this year, or even in the top 5, it had some moments that I'll likely remember for some time, and overall I enjoyed playing through the campaign. - [Disney Infinity](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/disney-infinity/): To some, it may seem like a cash grab, and that would be true if the game were utter garbage. But thankfully, that's not the case. Disney Infinity is a charming romp through some of the most beloved fictional lands of the past several decades. - [Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/brothers-tale-two-sons/): There are several things that make Brothers a unique and worthwhile experience, despite its length. And I hope that by publishing a review of my experience, others will give it a shot or a second look, if they've already passed it by. - [Why I've Sided with PlayStation 4 at Launch](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/why-ive-sided-with-playstation-4-at-launch/): With the next generation of video game consoles on the horizon, I decided to side with one of them at launch. Before I looked forward, I had to take some time to look back, and also evaluate the current state of things. - [The Last of Us](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-last-of-us/): Excellent gameplay, an incredibly intriguing story of survival and hope, and the most impressive visuals of this console generation; The Last of Us is nothing short of a masterpiece. - [E3 2013 Impressions: PlayStation 4](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/e3-2013-impressions-playstation-4/): Sony made it clear that they've been listening, that they care, and that they're going to deliver the experience that we, the gaming community want. - [E3 2013 Impressions: Xbox One](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/e3-2013-impressions-xbox-one/): With the ever growing list of negative features and functionality, Microosft really need to go above and beyond to make people want to buy the Xbox One. At this point, I’m not convinced. - [BioShock Infinite](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/bioshock-infinite/): The visual style and the concept of a city in the clouds, combined with what was sure to be a solid story, had me yearning for this game for quite literally, years. - [Tomb Raider](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/tomb-raider/): This is not only a great Tomb Raider game, it's an excellent action adventure game, and one that will likely be on many "top games of 2013" lists come December. - [Far Cry 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/far-cry-3/): It's technically impressive, delivers an entertaining and engaging story, and is simply a hell of a lot of fun to play! - [Call of Duty: Black Ops II](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii/): I have to hand it to Treyarch. They really delivered this year, and have made Black Ops II a stand-out game in this long running series. - [Dishonored](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/dishonored/): Overall, I didn't enjoy Dishonored all that much. Its slow pace and obvious story left a lot to be desired. - [LEGO The Lord of the Rings](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lego-lotr/): Dialogue from the films, open world exploration, fetch side-quests, and object forging make it stand out among the crowd. - [Need For Speed: Most Wanted](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/need-for-speed-most-wanted/): NFS: Most Wanted (2012) is a better game than the original in every regard, and one of the few racing games I've seen through to completion in recent years. - [Rocking My Socks in 2012](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/rocking-my-socks-in-2012/): 2012 was a tough year for me, for many reasons. But one thing that continued to put a smile on my face and fuel my fire, was music. - [The Walking Dead: Episodes 3, 4, and 5](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-walking-dead-episodes-3-4-5/): I would have liked to have seen things play out differently in the end, but all in all, The Walking Dead is an excellent experience like no other and should not be missed. - [Halo 4](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/halo-4/): Halo 4 is definitely still a Halo game through-and-through, but 343i's refinements have shaped it into something a bit more magical, and a heck of a lot more enjoyable. - [Assassin's Creed III](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/assassins-creed-iii/): Nothing short of frustrating, and often infuriating. It pains me to admit, that one of my most anticipated games of 2012, Assassin's Creed III, is a failure of epic proportions. - [Transformers: Fall of Cybertron](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/transformers-fall-of-cybertron/): I thoroughly enjoyed the War for Cybertron campaign, and was hooked on the multiplayer for quite a while. Naturally, I was hoping that Fall of Cybertron would scratch that same itch, and it most definitely has. - [Digital Console Gaming - Are We There Yet?](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/digital-console-gaming-are-we-there-yet/): I've been saying for years -- I'm tired of having to swap out discs in my consoles. It's tedious, and finding storage for the physical packaging is a growing challenge. Now that it's harder for my to obtain physical copies of games, I'm even more interested in a digital distribution system. - [Rayman Jungle Run](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/rayman-jungle-run/): At a glance, it's Rayman Origins for iOS, which was more than enough to warrant the purchase for me. Looking a little closer, it's Rayman Origins for iOS, with refined controls that make it one of the best platformers on the mobile platform. - [Indie Game: The Movie](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/indie-game-the-movie/): Indie Game: The Movie really hit home, as it tells the story of 3 independent game developers. All of which are right around my age, and also grew up playing what are now known as the classics. - [The Walking Dead: Episodes 1 and 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/the-walking-dead-episodes-1-2/): Even though Telltale Games' video game is based on the comics, it has a very similar vibe to AMC's television series, while meshing the art style of the comics. - [Fez](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/fez/): There is a lot more to Fez than beautiful 3D pixel art and basic platforming. What I failed to see at first, is the very thing that will sell the game for some, and make others throw in the towel. - [Super Meat Boy](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/super-meat-boy/): Super Meat Boy is catered to gamers like myself, who grew up playing video games in the late 80s - early 90s. It's a throwback in its entirety, and feels extremely genuine. - [Max Payne 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/max-payne-3/): Max Payne 3 is an exhilarating ride from start-to-finish. And despite development changing hands, it's still very true to its predecessors. Those who enjoy excellent story telling and insane over-the-top action, definitely need to get their hands on Max Payne 3. But be warned, it is brutally violent, and some people will find it offensive. - [A Handful of Photoshop Tips](https://mattbrett.com/blog/design/photoshop-tips/): I've been kicking around the idea of doing a series of screencasts that demonstrate some handy tips and techniques to help people be more productive in Photoshop. It's been a few years since I've written any sort article on this topic, and this time around, I figured a screencast would be better suited. - [Mass Effect 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/mass-effect-3/): Mass Effect 3 concludes the epic story which follows Commander Shepard as he/she tries to prevent the annihilation of every sentient being in the galaxy. - [2012 Redesign](https://mattbrett.com/blog/this-site/redesign/): After weeks of working 10-12 hour days and losing many weekends, I'm stoked to roll out this redesign, and am hoping it will reignite my blogging spark. - [The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/skyrim/): There is really so much I could say, and stories I could tell about my experience with Skyrim. And I could come back and write more after each sitting, but I'm going to keep this relatively short and to the point; The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an absolute masterpiece! It is so expansive that any minor technical issues become obsolete, given that you will likely forget about them due to the sheer amount of time invested. - [Rayman Origins](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/rayman-origins/): Rayman is a character I've never had much fondness for. The only game I've played that bared his name was the original Raving Rabbids game for Wii. But even then, it was all about the Rabbits and Rayman was rarely in the spotlight. In any case, I never thought I'd be head over heals for a Rayman game, but that's exactly where I've found myself after having invested countless hours into this pseudo reboot. Rayman: Origins is a gorgeous, challenging 2D platformer that hits all the right notes, and has left this old school gamer feeling tremendously satisfied. If you grew up with a NES controller in hand, you owe it to yourself to play this game. - [Using Multiple Xbox 360 Consoles Just Got a Whole Lot Easier](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/multiple-xbox-360-consoles/): It's not often I have good things to say about Microsoft, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due. The fall '11 dashboard update for the Xbox 360 brought a shiny new user interface (that I absolutely despise, mind you), but also some significant changes under the hood. One of the most exciting being Cloud Storage. This allows you to save games on a remote server and access them from any console you're logged into with your Xbox Live account. - [How to Completely Uninstall bbPress 2](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/how-to-uninstall-bbpress/): bbPress has been around for a while, but when version 2 was released back in September 2011, it brought something entirely new to the table; it was no longer standalone software, but a plugin that fully integrates the forums into your WordPress installation. This is great on many levels, but it can be a nightmare if you need to remove bbPress, as I discovered. - [Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3/): I had no intentions on playing this year's dose of Call of Duty, which is kind of crazy considering how long I named COD as being one of my favourite video game franchises. Simply put, I'm Call of Duty'd out. But there's no denying that Infinity Ward are a solid development studio, and after being let down by Battlefield 3's mediocre campaign, I found myself with a craving for some top-shelf modern warfare goodness. I knew full well that MW3 would deliver, and it surely did. - [Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/uncharted-3/): It has to be tough being part of a development studio who churns out games of such high quality, such as Naughty Dog and their Uncharted franchise. The amount of pressure that's on them to meet and/or exceed the expectations of those who loved their previous games must be enormous. I certainly don't envy them in that regard. But I do envy their ability to deliver an incredible experience, time and time again. Needless to say, Uncharted 3 definitely does not disappoint, but it doesn't make too many advances either. It sticks to the tried and true formula concocted by the two games which came before it, and I'm perfectly fine with that. - [Battlefield 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/battlefield-3/): I'm certainly no new-comer to the Battlefield franchise. A quick search will give you an idea of how long I've been playing these games, and also let you know that I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship as well. More so with the lack of support and proper updates the PC games were receiving back in the day, but thankfully none of that is of concern any longer. Battlefield 3 is here, six long years after its predecessor. Although, we've seen several other Battlefield games in the mean time. From traditional releases, to download only console games, to free-to-play PC titles. The Battlefield has been constantly changing, although the core game play has remained in tact and has only strengthened over the years. - [Batman: Arkham City](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/batman-arkham-city/): A little over two years ago, Arkham Asylum set the stage for what is now the greatest video game franchise based on a comic book. Or at least, that's what I've deemed it. Arkham City takes the most logical step in every possible direction, making it an absolutely perfect sequel. If you played through Arkham Asylum, you will pick up Arkham City and feel right at home. New comers to this modern Batman franchise, will have their socks knocked off. Batman: Arkham City will without a doubt, be many people's choice for Game of the Year in 2011. - [Forza 4 Nails It](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/forza-4-nails-it/): I've always enjoyed racing games. Dating back to my first console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, R.C. Pro Am was a game that I sank a huge amount of hours into. Through the console generations, racing and driving games have evolved into full-blown simulations. Hell, we even play them with realistic wheels and pedals for the closest possible experience to being in an actual vehicle. Personally, I get more enjoyment out of a game that lets me drive cars that I otherwise wouldn't have the chance to, and on roads that will likely never be beneath me. I've played my share of racing games over the years, but none have nailed the experience I'm after as well as Forza Motorsport, and the fourth iteration is no exception. - [Gears of War 3](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/gears-of-war-3/): As a fan of the series, I was excited to regroup with Marcus, Dom, and the rest of the remaining COG to finish the fight against the Locust and Lambent threats. Gears of War 2 left off with a last stand of sorts, where we witnessed the last human stronghold flooded in an effort to destroy the enemy. Gears of War 3 picks up two years later, and everything has continued to go to shit. The government has fallen, the COG essentially disbanded, the Lambent continue to infest the planet, while the remaining Locust struggle for survival above ground. - [L.A. Noire Exceeded My Expectations](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/la-noire/): The latest title from Rockstar Games is likely not what you’re expecting, and for some, this is a very good thing. While the sprawling open world environment is in tact and as impressive as ever, you will spend most of your time doing linear based missions as opposed to running rampant. The focus on thorough investigation over good old gun fighting is rightly apparent, and a welcome change of pace. Mix in a huge amount of polish and impressive technical aspects, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a game! - [LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/lego-pirates-of-the-caribbean/): I for one, have not grown tired of these silly LEGO games. Despite this being the second released this year, and we’re only in May. LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean is actually a game I’ve been looking forward to since I first caught wind of it, and I’m not ashamed to admit that. They may be catered to children, but I find great pleasure in their simplistic gameplay, puzzle solving, and humorous storytelling. - [Finally Cutting the Cable](https://mattbrett.com/blog/tv/finally-cutting-the-cable/): Today I made a call to my TV service provider that was long overdue. “Hi there! I’m good, thanks. I’d like to cancel my TV subscription all together.” The bottom line, is that I am paying far too much for the amount of television being watched in my house. And when you dwindle it down to the shows that my family really want to watch, it hardly seems justified. When my bill jumped from $135/month to $165/month, I knew it was time. While I still have another 30 days of service, I already feel better knowing I won’t be shelling out a huge sum of money every month for a service that we can really do without. - [Rico is Still Alive in Killzone 3, Bummer](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/killzone-3/): Sony's flagship first person shooter is back for another round on the PS3, and this time it makes use of all the bells and whistles the console has to offer. Amazing visuals, fantastic sound, PlayStation Move support, and 3D TV ready out of the box. Impressive, indeed! But best of all, we didn't have to wait years on end to hold it in hand. Killzone 3 comes just 2 years later, and I'm beginning to think that a little more time might not have been a bad thing. - [Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/assassins-creed-brotherhood/): As much as I enjoy the Assassin's Creed series, Brotherhood was not a game I had high hopes for. In fact, leading up to its release, I had only watched the first couple trailers before writing it off almost entirely. Why would I do such a thing? With games like Call of Duty, Need for Speed, Guitar Hero, and the annual sports titles dropping like clock work every single year without fail (now, with the exception of Guitar Hero), I assumed Assassin's Creed was the latest franchise to receive the mandatory sequel treatment. I was expecting the worst - a rushed, watered down sequel that paled in comparison to its predecessor, of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I couldn't have been more wrong. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a fully realized sequel, even more so than Assassin's Creed II which laid the ground work. - [What I Was Listening to 15 Years Ago: 2010 Edition](https://mattbrett.com/blog/music/15-years-ago-2010/): We’re nearly two weeks into 2011, and here I am publishing a post that I couldn’t find time for in 2010. The concept struck me some time last summer, and I believe it’s simply too good to let slip by. While I could have started with 1996, 1995 was a terrific year for music, and one that helped diversify my tastes. Even now, 15 years later, I still listen to many of the albums I saved my paper route money to buy when I was just a wee lad. - [The State of Video Game Console Upgrades in 2010](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/console-upgrades/): This month marks the fifth anniversary for Xbox 360, and the fourth for PlayStation 3 and Wii. In the past, five years was the typical lifespan for a video game console, but I think it's safe to say none of the current generation consoles are going anywhere just yet. Things have been different this time around. Instead of out-right replacements, consoles have seen numerous upgrades on both the hardware and software ends that have changed them drastically. Just over the past couple months, Xbox 360 and PS3 have added their own motion sensing control schemes (Kinect and Move, respectively), which is the of course the Wii's main feature. - [Fable III is Disappointing, but Still Quite Enjoyable](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/fable-iii/): It feels like it's been ages since Fable II won me over, but it's just been a couple years. Regardless, I was more than a little anxious to dive back into the world of Albion, with the release of Fable III. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was dampened pretty early on by some major technical issues and changes to common game design mechanics that left me scratching my head. But that hasn't stopped me from sinking over 25 hours into it, and I still have plenty left to take care of. - [Bungie Sends the Halo Franchise Out in Style with Halo: Reach](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/halo-reach/): Halo: Reach is indeed a Halo game, through and through. If you loved the previous four games in the series (Halo 1, 2, 3, and ODST), you'll feel right at home with Reach. But if those previous games didn't do it for you, Reach likely doesn't do enough things differently to reel you in. That said, I've always been a fan of the series, and have quite enjoyed my time with Reach, for the most part. If this truly is Bungie's last Halo game, they've sent it out with style, and packed it with just about everything you could possibly want in a Halo game. Aside from the single player campaigns, there's really no reason to hang on to the previous games if you own Reach. If there was such thing as a greatest hits video game, this would be Halo's. - [Spartans Can't Drive for Shit](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/spartans-cant-drive/): As many of you did, I picked up Halo: Reach on release day and have been enjoying my time with it immensely, for the most part anyway. There have been a few low points in the campaign so far, but there's been a common factor in each case - some form of motorized vehicle. It seems that even with all of Bungie's experience and the massive development team that backs their Halo games, they still haven't been able to nail AI behaviour when it comes to driving vehicles. This mental short-coming of my fellow squad mates has led to some of the most frustrating moments I've experienced playing video games in recent years. - [So Long Nintendo, and Thanks For All the Memories](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/so-long-nintendo/): Of the three consoles in my living room, the Nintendo Wii sees the least amount of use, by a long shot. While the Xbox 360 is everyone's favourite (my wife and eldest daughter included), the PlayStation 3 sees its fair share of use as the primary disc-based media player. With having a relationship with Nintendo for over 20 years, it's hard to turn a blind eye. But it's come to the point where their hardware is of no interest to me, and their software simply isn't cutting it. So long Nintendo, and thanks for all the memories. - [You Need to Play Limbo](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/limbo/): I haven't written about many downloadable titles, despite having purchased dozens. I'm sure exactly why that is, but Limbo is just too great of an experience for me to let slip by without a mention. With a complete lack of colour in its bleak visual style, no music to be heard, and no weapons to wield. It's quite possibly the simplest game from top to bottom, when you step back and really look at it. But that's not to say there isn't much of a game here. For Limbo is a game I will remember for years to come, I have no doubt. - [I Thoroughly Enjoyed Transformers: War for Cybertron](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/transformers-wfc/): Having grown up in the '80s, I was more than just a little excited to see the original Transformers brought back to life. Especially in the form of a third-person action game, built on top of Epic's Unreal Engine, and set before any other known events in the Transformers universe. Tack on a complete 3-player co-op campaign and a surprisingly deep competitive online component, and you have what sounds like a perfect recipe. While it may not be perfect, it's pretty damn good, and definitely satisfied my thirst for some retro Transformers action. - [Split/Second is a Damn Good Time](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/splitsecond/): Arcade racing games provide an escape from reality that allows you to drive like a maniac in vehicles you could never afford, or don't even exist in the real world. Throw in some absolutely insane and often impossible situations, and you have Split/Second. Driving super fast and narrowly avoiding collisions is fun and exhilarating. Speeding across the deck of a sinking aircraft carrier and dodging jet fighters that are sliding down the inflamed landing strip is fucking awesome! You haven't played a racing game like Split/Second before. - [Envato Marketplace Buttons for Authors](https://mattbrett.com/blog/mp/envato-buttons/): Yesterday afternoon I ticked off a to-do item that's been lingering for quite some time - "Create some buttons to promote feeds and following on ThemeForest." Many of the top authors on ThemeForest, and other Envato Marketplaces for that matter, have a set of buttons on their profiles and all of their items - see crazy popular items from Kresi and epicera. The purpose of these buttons is to encourage people to stay on top of the authors' releases, and even connect with them elsewhere. One thing I noticed, was that everyone had their own set of buttons. So I set out on a search in hopes of finding a PSD that someone has shared for creating similar buttons. When nothing turned up, I figured I would take this opportunity to not only hook myself up with a nice set of buttons for my marketplace items, but to share my buttons so other authors can quickly and easily add some buttons of their own. - [Skate 3 is Rad (no but!)](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/skate-3/): Three games in less than 3 years - you know this game is either published by Activision or EA. Although the Skate franchise has always been heavy on the in-game advertisements and product placement, I don't feel as though EA is purely milking it. In fact, with each game in the series getting better and better, the sequels have felt full and justified. Skate 3 keeps the core gameplay in tact, throws you into an entirely new city, and gives you loads of new challenges to complete, both solo and online. If you played the demo and were sorely let down (like me), fear not! Skate 3 is a welcome addition to the franchise, and another step in the right direction. - [WordPress Post Thumbnails Revisited](https://mattbrett.com/blog/development/wordpress-post-thumbnails-revisited/): Shortly after the release of WordPress 2.9, I published my technique for bulletproof post thumbnails. Since then, it's evolved yet simplified into a more robust solution, specifically for use in WordPress themes. The problem, was that each image uploaded was generating a new set of images in various sizes, on top of the three that WordPress creates by default. This resulted in 6 or 7 images, instead of just a handful. While this isn't really a huge deal, it means you're going to be using more space on your server, and the uploads directory will get a bit unruly. - [Heavy Rain is Just Barely a Video Game](https://mattbrett.com/blog/videogames/heavy-rain-is-just-barely-a-video-game/): In short, Heavy Rain is a completely unique gaming experience with a strong story that had me fully engaged. It's more of an eight-to-ten hour interactive movie than a game, but it's a very welcome change. Since the story can take so many different paths, it's worth playing through at least a couple of times to see how things can play out differently. ## Pages - [WordPress Themes](https://mattbrett.com/themes/): Formerly available from ThemeForest, my WordPress themes have been retired and are now available for free. Please keep in mind they are no longer supported or maintained. Use at your own risk. - [Product Design Portfolio](https://mattbrett.com/work/) - [Lucky Number Seven](https://mattbrett.com/luckynumberseven/): Lucky Number Seven was a huge part of my life, from 1997-2002. It wasn’t just a band – we were the best of friends. I definitely miss those days. Wasted Times was the only studio album we released. It was recorded with Simon Head at Insight Recordings. Demo 2000 was recorded in our jam spot by […] - [About](https://mattbrett.com/about/): Hello there, I’m Matt Brett 👋🏻 In short, I’m a veteran designer and WordPress developer from Vancouver Island, Canada, with over two decades of experience. I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto but moved out west in my thirties. I’ve been called many things — dad, designer, gamer, geek, drummer, guitarist, and photographer, to […] - [Contact](https://mattbrett.com/contact/): I’m no longer taking on new clients, but if you’d like to say hello, feel free to reach out using the form below. 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