CNET reports that the Webcaster Settlement Act has passed the House of Representatives unanimously.  Only the Senate now stands in the way of internet radio broadcasters and business viability.

According to the article:

Webcasters are fighting for the right to negotiate with the music industry to reduce the royalty rates they must pay to stream music over the Web. Any deal must be approved by the federal government.

It’s sad that it’s even gotten to this point.  The revised royalty rates from last year that put webcasters into this situation in the first place were completely unreasonable.  Now they are fighting for the right to negotiate?  With the music industry?

Granted, one would assume that the record labels themselves would see the futility in forcing internet radio out of business and would negotiate reasonable deals if the bill passes.  However, why did they allow SoundExchange to enact such ridiculous rates in the first place?  The fact that any deal must be approved by the federal goverment adds unnecessary red tape to the process.

Unanimously passing the House is a good first step; it appears as though the bill will get enacted.  At the end of the day, though, it’s still a workable solution.  Just not a very elegant one.

I’ve been playing around with a new gaming community video content hub/service called GameVee.com.  Along with the ability for users to upload and share HD game video content, GameVee has a unique utility called “Grab.” Using a top secret voodoo propietary algorithm/solution, Grab automates the process of capturing video content from games and uploads it into a tidy Flash-based video player for you to share with everyone on the web.

Right now the service only works with game replays/clips on Halo 3 file shares, but it’s still pretty damn awesome.  All you need to do is put in an Xbox Live gamertag along with the title of a video clip on the person’s file share and Grab will automagically capture, convert, and upload the clip.  It does take a few hours to complete a Grab request, though, as it looks like a laborious process for the black box to download, play, capture, and convert a replay.  It’s hard to find fault with the results though.

Making gameplay video capturing this easy is going to take social gaming to a new level.  Games like Pixeljunk Eden already have the ability to capture gameplay video and upload directly into YouTube from within the game.  I know I’m going to be sharing my awesome gaming exploits with people who don’t even own a game console.  It’s only going to help generate interest and awareness for games and the games industry.

Indulge me after the jump as I share with you a video of me going 19-1 in a ranked doubles match recorded shortly after the release of Halo 3 last fall.

Downloadable content is again the story this week, although there’s a long awaited big budget exclusive title for the Xbox 360 as well.  Here are the games I’m excited to play this week:

Too Human (Xbox 360, $60) - 8/20/08 - Too Human is an Xbox 360 exclusive that has been in development for almost 10 years.  It’s an ambitious action/rpg game that aims to be as addictive as Diablo, but with the graphical prowess and combat depth of a Devil May Cry.  The internet has already been torn in half by drama over the game.  Suffice to say, I’ve been excited for it and have it pre-ordered.  I enjoyed the demo and the promise of co-op play still has me itching to play it.  The mediocre reviews are troubling though…

Ratchet and Clank: Quest For Booty (PS3, $15) - 8/21/08 - One of the surprises of Sony’s E3 conference was the announcement of an original downloadable Ratchet and Clank game for the PS3.  Boasting the same Pixar-movie quality production value as last year’s Tools of Destruction, Quest For Booty is a 3-4 hour experience that continues the storyline from Tools of Destruction. With a manageable gameplay length, the value proposition of quality over quantity is huge here.

Galaga Legions (Xbox 360, $10) - 8/20/08 - Old school game remakes are the flavor du jour of digital distribution lately.  Anyone over the age of 20 probably remembers Galaga, the seminal top down space shoot ‘em up from the 80’s.  Namco has remade the game with pretty graphics and some extra gameplay changes, such as the ability to move in all directions and deploy “satellite” ships to attack for you.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo (PS3, Xbox 360, free) - 8/21/08 - How nice of Lucasarts to be platform neutral and release the demo for the most anticipated Star Wars game in years on the same day.  With a crazyawesomecool physics engine and an actual honest-to-god interesting new story, The Force Unleashed actually has the potential to be the first Star Wars game in nearly a decade to not completely suck.  (How awesome are these videos!) I’m still skeptical, but will eagerly download and try the demo the first chance I get on Thursday.

American McGee is best known for his work on DOOM, Quake, and Alice.  The latter, which I found to be a deliciously twisted romp through the wonderland of Lewis Carroll.  McGee’s past games have earned him an automatic “I gotta check out what he’s doing next” pass.  His latest project is entitled American McGee’s Grimm and is a 24-part episodic game available exclusively on Gametap.  New episodes are released every Thursday and will be available free to play for a 24-hour period, much like a television show.  Grimm is based on the idea of “f’d up fairy tales,” with each episode centering on the corruption of a particular fairy tale, like Little Red Riding Hood or Beauty and the Beast.  Gameplay is very simple and casual friendly.  It plays kind of like Katamari Damacy in that you are guiding a character in a world with the objective of covering the most surface area possible.  There is some light platforming as well.

What I Liked:

• Art direction/Presentation - The Unreal Engine 3 isn’t pushed to its full potention in this game, but the blocky, simplistic character models do exude some personality.  The changes between the “original” fairy tale world and the “Grimm-ified” fairy tale world (once you get your stinky paws on it) are quite apparent and is the biggest accomplishment of the game.
• Simple, relaxing gameplay - This game is almost built for casual gamers as you can use one hand to play it!  Either the mouse or the WASD keys will work in controlling Grimm.  The only other action he can do is jump and butt stomp, which is done by jumping twice.
• Short length - The first episode is divided into six “sections” that each take between 3-5 minutes to complete.  After cut scenes, you can finish the entire episode in under 40 minutes, possibly less.  This is good for those who can’t afford long periods to game
• Potty humor - If you stand still for a couple of seconds, Grimm starts peeing.  ‘Nuff said.

What I didn’t like:

• Shallow gameplay - If it weren’t for the short play sections, you would get tired of the game very fast.  The game is fairly linear and doesn’t involve much more than rudimentary platforming skills.  Most of the time you are just running around an area trying to cover it in filth.
• “Meh” story - I’m not too familiar with the tale of “A Boy Learns What Fear Is.”  It might have been better if Gametap led off the series with a more recognizable tale, such as “Little Red Riding Hood.”
• Simplistic graphics - You wouldn’t have guessed the game uses the Unreal 3.0 engine by just looking at it.  While the great art-direction and atmosphere make up for it slightly, there’s no avoiding the fact that the game world looks dated.

What I Didn’t Care For:

• Leaderboards - I barely had enough motivation to finish the episode, much less replay it for time.

The first episode of American McGee’s Grimm is a mixed bag.  While it’s basic premise and goal are intriguing and show signs of promise, the execution of the first episode falls a little flat.  I’m curious to see whether later episodes have a noticeable improvement in story quality and deeper gameplay, but it’s definitely not at the top of my to do list.

If you’re looking for a relaxing and short gameplay experience on your PC, you could do a lot worse than episode 1 of Grimm.  Since the first episode is downloadable for free here, you really have nothing to lose.  For those of us with a backlogged games stack, though, there’s nothing here that will make you want to put it at the top of the queue.

Verdict: Passable, Try The Demo First

Whew. I can rest easy knowing I will live a long life like 91 year old Ernest Borgnine.

This is kinda cool.  Plasmic Studios have created a nice Flash presentation comparing original panels of Watchmen comic pencils to the “live action” movie posters that were created for the upcoming film release in 2009.  Ozymandias looks a little scrawny and malnourished, but other than that, the “real” renditions look pretty bad ass.

I can’t wait for this movie.

With the number of quality music and games releases increasing as we inch towards the fourth quarter, we here at My Day Will Come will be starting a new weekly feature entitled “My Day Has Come,” where we’ll spotlight the most noteworthy releases of the week.

This week sees a couple of great downloadable games along with the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

Madden NFL 09 (PS2/PS3/Xbox/Xbox 360/DS/PSP/Wii) - 8/12/08 - The latest edition of EA’s golden goose promises to be the best edition in years.   A really cool feature of the 360/PS3 versions is the ability to save a highlight from a game and immediately upload it to the web youtube-style.  Get the Wii version if you’re planning on playing a lot of local multiplayer, otherwise go 360/PS3 if you want a deeper single player or online experience.

Strong Bad’s Game For Cool Attractive People (Wii/PC) - 8/11/08 - Strong Bad and the Homestar Runner cast star in their first point and click adventure game.  It’s the first episode of five monthly releases.  Definitely check this one out if you’re a Homestar and/or adventure game fan.  Read our review from yesterday for more detail.

Bionic Commando Rearmed (Xbox 360/PS3/PC) - 8/13/08 (360) and 8/14/08 (PS3/PC) - I loved the original Bionic Commando on the NES back in the early 90’s.  Capcom reimagines Bionic Command for modern game platforms.  The game is a 2d platformer/shooter combo with the unique twist in that you can’t jump.  You can only use your bionic grapple arm to navigate.  An early review from IGN’s Hilary Goldstein calls it “the best downloadable game to date on XBLA and PSN.”  Strong words from the dude who gave Braid an 8.8 rating.

A few days ago, Stereogum posted this video of Jay-Z and Kanye debuting a new track from Jigga’s upcoming new album, Blueprint 3. It’s rumored that it’ll be produced (mostly) by Kanye West.  Now, it appears as if the internets have leaked the full studio track for the Oasis-slamming track, “Jockin’.”

I gotta admit, the mocking way he sings the perfectly chosen Wonderwall line really gets those Gallagher brothers right between their taints.

Your move, smarmy Brits.

Download the song here (via Nah Right)

I’m intrigued.  Tell me more, Franz Ferdinand.

(they want your email address to stream, but you can put any address on to listen)

Check out the song after the jump.