Community Spotlight

After a short hiatus the Rewind has returned in all its splendor and things have calmed down over the last two weeks or so, only to pick right back up with the events concerning the Xbox One and Microsoft’s steadfast DRM policies, all of which are no longer going to be implemented. What does this mean you ask; the same kind of freedom you currently have with the Xbox 360 are the same freedoms you’ll be able to enjoy with the upcoming One. This means no used games policies, no trading policies, no always online connection. All of it, gone.

It only happens once a year and it’s often likened to the Super Bowl, as in “the Super Bowl for gamers”. It can likened to any major event that only happens once a year that has massive appeal but at the end of the day all that matters is it’s E3!

We’re here, heading in to the final chicane leading onto the main straight — I’m referring to E3 of course. It all begins next week Monday if you weren’t aware and there’s so much I’m looking forward to, so much I’m looking to get a better hold of, and even a bit more clarity should it be provided.

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! You’ve gone several weeks, months even, ducking and weaving the inevitable – you’ve just been Rebecca Black’d.

For those of you still scratching your pretty little heads, there was no Weekly Rewind last week. How could there have been with all of the news coming in left, right and sideways regarding the GT6 reveal at last week’s 15th Anniversary Celebration at Silverstone? The Rewind would have been a tight squeeze in the midst of that onslaught of news.

While this week’s Weekly Rewind may very well have taken a backseat to the influx of news relating to Gran Turismo 6, there was no way I was going to let this slip through the cracks without the proper acknowledgement.

I think it’s time to blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together. Okay, three, two, one – let’s jam! 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU for short, struck gold once again with the release of Iron Man 3. I won’t delve too much into details despite my utter excitement but it was a fantastic effort for the third entry in the series, and RDJ plays the role brilliantly yet again so there’s not going to be any surprises there, and if you’re a War Machine fan you’ll be pleased to know that Don Cheadle/James Rhodes has his fair share of screen time.

Snake Eater! Oh I can see I may have already confused some of you, sorry about that. This week’s title is a direct reference to the song “Snake Eater” from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. That worked out flawlessly, wouldn’t you say? I’ve been a fan of the series since an old acquaintance of mine introduced me to it a long time ago, yet Snake Eater remains as the only major console release I’ve yet to play for reasons I don’t quite understand to this very day. Alas, all of this will be rectified soon enough as I’ve been on quite the MGS binge as of late and yes that definitely includes Revengeance.

This has been an eventful week for me if I do say so myself: picked up a new keyboard (more on that later) and I’m on the cusp of upgrading, or should I say, overhauling my current PC rig. In what way you ask? Well that’s the quandary in itself because I don’t know what I’m going to upgrade, or when for that matter. I’ll be keeping my usual close eye on things as they develop over the next couple of weeks and judge from there when the time is indeed necessary. Although I will say that I’ve been eyeing the GeForce GTX 690 since it was launched last year, and with plans having fallen through to obtain one I’d almost regret not getting something I had my sights on for close to a year now.

Here you are, rushing in to see the Rewind this week and I’m willing to bet the title is what attracted you, isn’t it? Perhaps it did but you don’t have the slightest clue as to what it means, or why I’ve chosen it to represent this week’s Rewind. Well to make things relatively simple for those of you who are but a bit confused, “Danger Zone” is a title easily recognized for it’s Top Gun fame, or if you’re simply a Kenny Loggins fan you’ll recognize it due to that as well Another interesting tidbit is the “Danger Zone” has also become a pop-culture joke reference in the animated series Archer – thus the title is an homage to both.

First off the title: no, GTPlanet is not concocting some devious master plan that involves an indefinite lunar eclipse or anything of that nature. This week’s title is a direct reference to heavy metal band “Sevendust” and their newly-released album bearing the same name. If any of you GTPlanet Faithful out there are fans of the genre or are always looking out for a new band to listen to, I can’t recommend these guys enough as every album is jam-packed with variety and all of the great things associated with heavy metal.

I was going to make this the third Rewind with a title referencing the hit classic (yes, I just said that) “Friday” by Rebecca Black, but I figured it’d be better not to simply for the sake of all of you – you’re welcome. I say that now but I assure you it’s going to happen sooner or later because it’s fun and the feedback has been just as fun.

For those of you scratching your heads, wondering where you recognize this week’s title or why there’s this strange sense of familiarity coming into this week’s Rewind after having read just the title, then I’ll tell you: Gran Turismo 2. “Now Is The Time”, performed by The Crystal Method was one of the many tracks featured in the game and was perhaps one of the most fluid music tracks in the game. It could mesh in with any track, with any car, under any circumstance and it would seemingly make the moment that much more intense.

It’s finally here, after more than four months of rest and anticipation the 2013 Formula 1 season is about to kick off, in fact for the more fussy among us it could be argued the season has already begun, what with the inaugural weekend having begun today with practice sessions 1 and 2 earlier. The opening race—considered to be the real beginning of the season by those of us less fussy—kicks off this Sunday at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. Judging by the looks of things it’s going to be a fairly close season.

This weekend will mark the merging of ForzaPlanet and GTPlanet into one cohesive being, henceforth known as “ThePlanet”. I’m only kidding of course, as a great deal of you will already be aware that GTPlanet will remain GTPlanet but with even more bits. A never ending well of potential is how I would reference the upcoming merger. Of course it’s nothing like a law firm where the names can be partnered, because then you’d have Planet-Planet and that’s just confusing for everyone involved.

Before anything else, before I even advance into my usual introductory diatribe I want to preface the entire Rewind with wishing the late and great Carroll Shelby a belated happy birthday; he would have been 90 years old this past January. For those of you (and I’m one of them) who are of the opinion this entry isn’t long enough, fear not because we’ll revisit the subject in May where I’ll put together a lengthier tribute.

Yes, another reference to “Friday” by Rebecca Black. It’s a catchy song once you’ve listened to it over one hundred times, but of course we’re not here to discuss Auto-Tune wonders, are we?

Here we stand at the precipice of what may very well be the outlining of the upcoming eighth generation of video game consoles. As you all know by now Sony is poised to make a special announcement of some kind next week Wednesday. Is it really the acknowledgement that the eighth generation begins this year or will it be something else?

I’m not even going to beat around the proverbial bush this week with the titular reference; the song, performed by .38 Special was the main theme to one of my favorite comedies ever: Broken Lizard’s Super Troopers. If you’re familiar with the movie or the comedy troupe’s work in general you’ll no doubt appreciate that you’re now picturing one (or all) of your favorite scenes right now, and for that you’re welcome.