Mom's Minute

The Last of Us video game

Will a block-buster video game make the transition and become possibly a block-buster movie?  Looks like Sony may be planning to do just that with its video game, The Last of Us.  If this happens, The Last of Us will follow in the footsteps of other Sony video games that have moved on to become movies, or are currently in the works to be movies.  The jury is probably still out as to whether this possible "video game turned into movie"  will make as big a splash on the big screen as it did on the PlayStation 3 console.

Ellie from The Last of Us video game

The Last of Us is a rated M (Mature) exclusive PS 3 video game that is an action-adventure survival horror game, released on June 14, 2013.  It is developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is probably no surprise that after the video game sold over 3.4 million copies within 30 days of its release that Sony may be attempting to increase profits from this game by turning it into a movie.

Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us video game

Interesting enough, Sony has not officially announced an upcoming The Last of Us movie.  The news of a possible movie was "leaked" when Sony registered two domain names tied to this game.  The domain names are TheLastofUs-Movie.com and TheLastofUsMovie.net. 

The registration of these two domain names may indicate the possibility or at least an openness of Sony to consider having a movie adaptation of the video game The Last of Us.

Will a The Last of Us movie actually materialize and give fans and others an opportunity to see the story unfold on the big screen?   I guess, for now, we will have to just wait and see.

Remembering 9/11

We will never forget.  Today, September 11, 2013 marks the 12th year since the terrorists' attack on the United States that happened on September 11, 2001.  As with major catastrophes and tragedies of this magnitude,  you may remember exactly where you were when you heard the news that not one, but two planes had crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. You may also remember the memorable words  of "Let's roll" as a courageous hero led a group of airline passengers and bravely fought evil on that day.

We will never forget

As we go about our daily lives, let's remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  If you were in the United States on that day, you may have experienced the atmosphere of bewilderment that seemed to embrace and engulf the greatest nation in the world.  As the realization of what happened permeates your mind, you may have been one of the many who wanted to do something to help those affected by this tragedy in any way that you could.  Maybe you pitched in and gave of your time  to somehow try to diminish the horrors of that day, whether it was volunteering, giving to the Red Cross, or a myriad of other things, that could help the families of the 9/11 heroes.

Personally, I coordinated a fund raising drive, collected money and drove to the local Red Cross and donated the money a group of us had raised.  I still remember the exhilerating, emotional feeling I got when I handed the donation envelope to the Red Cross administrator and stated that the money was collected for the families of the victims of the 9/11 terrorists attacks.  I felt that in some small way, we had done something that would ease the pain from this tragic event. You may have done something similar or you may have simply kept the families in your thoughts and prayers.

In memory of the heroes of 9/11

On the day of and the days following 9/11, you may have also marveled at how America showed the world that we are a proud and resilient people.  I still recall seeing lots of people driving around with the United States flag flying from the roof of their vehicles.   We were telling the world that if  they try to knock us down, we will stand back up  even taller and stronger than before.   I also recall seeing televised around the world the divided members of the U.S. Congress standing together on the steps of the White House in Washington D.C. in unison, praying together as if they were seemingly one.

With the subsequent U.S. victory in destroying the terrorist who masterminded a plan that would end the lives of innocent Americans on that day, America showed its muscles as well as why it is the greatest country in the world. With the stepped up security and other measures being taken, we demonstrate that today and in the days to come, we remain vigilant.

During your busy day today, hopefully you took the time to observe a moment of silence in honor of the unsung heroes who gave their ultimate sacrifice for freedom.  Know that even though they may not be here in body, they are here in soul and spirit knowing that the tragic, fateful day, September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten.

May America remain the leader and victor of the world, and even more importantly, may God forever bless the United States of America.

Watch Dogs careens into the future -- 2014

If you have been waiting for the release of Watch Dogs that at one time used to be right around the corner, you will have to wait just a little longer.  Ubisoft has announced that Watch Dogs video game that has been anticipated by many, will not be released as originally scheduled on November 19, 2013. Could it be that Ubisoft wants to carve a niche for Watch Dogs in 2014, since GTA V won the gold by breaking many records in sales in 2013?

Scene from Watch Dogs Video Game

According to Ubisoft, the reason for Watch Dog's release date delay had no correlation with  GTA V. No specifics were given by Ubisoft for the delay -- just a statement to the effect of what they expected Watch Dogs to deliver.

In the words of Watch Dogs development team:  "Our ambition from the start for 'Watch Dogs' has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in next generation gaming.  It is with this in mind that we've made the tough decision to delay the release until Spring, 2014."

Watch Dogs

Ubisoft's Co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot states the decision to delay Watch Dogs was a tough one but  will prove to be right in terms of satisfaction for the fans and the shareholders.  The specific new release date for Watch Dogs was not included in the announcement -- only the Spring, 2014 release timeframe was provided. 

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

As you kick back and enjoy the Labor Day holiday, you may be interested to know about video games that will be released on September 3, 2013 -- the day after the holiday.  If you are in the video game buying mood after Labor Day, you will have lots of choices of video games to choose from.

Diablo III

To help you choose, here are some of the video games that will be released on September 3, 2013 -- in no particular order. 

--Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse:  Rated E; PS3 

--Brothers:  A Tale of Two Sons: Rated T; PS3

--Diablo III: Rated M; PS 3 and Xbox 360

--One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 (in English): Rated T; PS3

--Rayman Legends: Rated E; PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, WII U and PC

--Kickbeat: Rated T; PS Vita

--Atelier Meruru Plus:  The Apprentice of Arland: Rated T; PS Vita

--Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate: Rated M; PS3 and Xbox 360

Rayman Legends video game

By the way, Downloadable Code (DLC) will also be released the day after Labor Day, which includes Borderlands 2 "Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2", DC Universe Online "Sons of Trigon", Soul Sacrifice "The Iron Lady Tears of Red" for the PS Vita, and the Metro:  Last Light "Tower Pack" for the PS Vita.

Hopefully this selection of games coming out on September 3, 2013 is enough to whet your appetite for new video games.

 Enjoy the holiday and be safe.

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Watch Dogs Vs Grand Theft Auto V

It is rather difficult not to take notice of the extraordinary success of Grand Theft Auto V.  This game made video game history by selling over 800 million copies at launch and over 1 billion copies in three days.  That is quite an accomplishment for a video game that has not been in the public eye and playable since April 2008. If some video game players seemed to be in awe of GTA V, it is not surprising that competing video game companies perked up and noticed all the hoopla about GTA V.  This is especially true of a video game company that is bringing out what has been described as a highly anticipated game, introduced about two years ago at the E3 Expo that was held in Los Angeles, California.  The company being referred to is  Ubisoft and the video game is Watch Dogs.

Watch Dogs Video Game

It's probably a known fact that success is copied.  This holds true for video game companies as well. The question is does Ubisoft plan to try to duplicate the success of GTA V by including some of the video game play, actions and other GTA V facets in Watch Dogs' game play.

According to Ubisoft's Watch Dogs' director, Jonathan Morin, the answer to this question is a resounding "No."  To paraphrase Jonathan Morin, Watch Dogs in no shape or form will try to resemble GTA V in order to try to match or surpass its success.

He compares any attempt to try to do so to that of trying to keep up with your neighbors, aka the Joneses.

In his words:  "What you don't do is start copying or start feeling the pressure of your neighbor, like "Oh my God, we need a chopper."

Scene from Watch Dogs Video Game

With Watch Dogs within days of being released, the impression may be that it is impossible to make changes to this video game within such a short time-frame.  However, with the magic of downloadable code (DLC) as well as the option to push the release date back -- changing the game play of Watch Dogs may not be as difficult as it may appear.

That being said, Watch Dogs will not have any discernible changes to emulate GTA V when it  launches on November 19, 2013.  This may be good news for Watch Dogs fans who are anxiously awaiting, not a clone of GTA 5, but an original game that is expected to deliver a video game experience like no other.

Watch Dogs is a rated M new generation PS4 and Xbox One launch title video game which will also be available for play on the WII U and the PC.  The PS4 video game system releases on Novemenber 15, 2013 and the Xbox One will be available on November 22, 2013.

Watch Dogs at E3 2013 Read more.

Watch Dogs Next Gen Video Game Read more.

Watch Dogs in E3 Top 5 Video Games Read more.