Beiber is CSI's "Target of Obsession"

If you're part of the 70% of middle aged males that watch CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and also have a crush on Justin Beiber, well you're in luck! This February baby Beiber is scheduled to return to CSI in an episode entitled "Targets of Obsession". I would refer the decision maker here to this picture of a father at a Beiber concert and ask her to consider her target audience.

Will The 3DS Deliver On Its Promises?

The 3DS in all its glory.
(Note the two cameras for 3D photo taking)

The 3DS was made available to the public at Nintendo World 2011, and "Rambo the Bear" a Destructioid reader was there to deliver first-hand observations. Reactions are positive, despite some of the concerns that gamers have been having.

The initial game line up appears to be made up of remakes of games that are already in existence. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Super Street Fighter 4 are all launch titles. While this is balanced out with a new Kingdom Hearts game and a new Kid Icarus title, it's a little unfortunate that the hype is about making games already in existence into 3D.

The 3D function itself has also been a concern, as Nintendo has mentioned that a sweet spot is needed to view the game properly, with developers going so far as to say that the 3DS is best played on a table, kind of nerfing the whole portability aspect. Don't expect the images to pop out of the screen, the 3DS is providing 3D without glasses, not miracles. The 3D effect is more like looking into a diorama or through a window. As the slider is adjusted, the depth increases. The sweet spot is real, however, 3D is not the only thing the 3DS has to offer, although it's the name of the fucking system. Nintendo is releasing a more powerful handheld, I don't really care about whether or not I can always see something in 3D. I'm looking forward to more content, longer games, more music. I'm looking forward to the hardware providing more opportunities. 3D is cool and all, but it's just a gimmick.

3D functionality aside, the 3DS is having a few stumbling blocks that don't seem to be acceptable. Xenophobia Region locking will be used on the 3DS, ending the era of being able to play any game made for a handheld no matter what country it was made for. The battery life has also become a concern, as the 3DS has the lowest battery life out of all the rechargeable handhelds Nintendo has made. So not only will I have to recharge my 3DS every five minutes (exaggeration), but I also won't be able to play games that weren't released in the state I bought my 3DS in (also an exaggeration).

Overall, the 3DS looks like it will do what Nintendo always does, mess up the status quo in a way that irritates everyone else. It's good to have a maverick, as things stay interesting. While it seems that the 3DS will be a proper successor to Nintendo's handheld market, I can't really say for sure until I hold one in my hands, hopefully in March.

Could Piracy Destroy the Music Industry?

Congratulations to Eminem on his best selling album Recovery! While yes, he must be positively thrilled, blowing runners-up such as Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber out of the water, this is not necessarily good news for the music industry as a whole.

Album sales for 2010 fell by a considerable 12% since 2009. Dropping from 2009's 373.9 million albums sold to 326.2 million albums sold for 2010, it's difficult to say what the future holds.

The question remains: what is causing this drastic drop in sales? The answer can only be one thing: pirating music.

The lines of what is legal and what is illegal in the world of downloading music consists of very blurred lines. I know in my own experience, people say that using sites like LimeWire is not illegal when in reality it is. Other sites such as mp3 converters allow viewers to insert the url of a YouTube video and download the sound from that video, giving easy access to pretty much any song available.

Another question that needs to be considered is if pirating music actually affects the career of an artist. Significant income is not lost from illegal downloading because artists make most of their money from touring. At this point, it really doesn't seem like there is any way of stopping illegal downloads.

Americans definitely don't purchase music the way they used to. Upon reading the article about Eminem, one user commented, "Nobody wants to buy a full album to get one good song with nine crappy ones."

This statement rings completely true. I, myself, have never purchased a full album from iTunes. Why should I? Of the few albums I want, I want the concrete version. Everything else I purchase as a single.

While yes, Eminem and Taylor Swift can occasionally swoop in and save the day, raising sales with their amazingly popular albums. But the question remains, will creating a best- selling album every few years really be enough to save the music industry in the long run?

Should Police Worry About New Spandexed Partner?

My first impression of Phoenix Jones, Seattle's own real life version of "Kick-Ass" was that he was the delusional result of the inspiration most parents share with their naive children that you can be whoever you want to be. As far as I was concerned, Phoenix Jones was the kid that took this message a little too seriously and slapped on some spandex for some much too realistic role play fighting crime.

But just because Phoenix Jones doesn't really have x-ray vision and can't leap tall buildings in single bounds does not mean he's a worthless amateur joke and I would advise everyone to give this guy a chance.

Phoenix was asked, "some people might ask if you're crazy. Are you crazy?"

To this he stoically responded, "Have you ever seen something that you thought was wrong or not fair? That you wanted to change? And then you just thought about it for days or weeks?"

"Of corse," the interviewer responded.

"Well I haven't. I don't stand by and watch things happen that are wrong. When I see it I fix it. Does that make me crazy?"

That's why it saddens me to share that Phoenix Jones was left with a broken nose this past weekend while fighting for justice. Police, opposed to Jones' superhero approach, jumped on this incident and argue "Does superman get his ass kicked?" No.

Police have made it clear that they would rather the "superheroes" act as witnesses instead of inserting themselves into fights. They instead encourage potential superheroes to just call 911. But this approach of evasion of responsibility and involvement harms society. It reminds me of the "advice" school authorities taught me in eighth grade. I was told that if someone picks a fight with you, the most appropriate plan of action is to curl up in a ball and whatever you do don't fight back.

The irony of his costume makes a statement that a police officer cannot because he's really just an average dude. His clothing choice also says a lot about his character; If this guy isn't afraid to strut around in spandex then who knows if anything will phase him.

"I symbolize that the average person doesn't have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing."

-Phoenix Jones

Sega Takes Pissing Contests To A Whole New Level With Toylet

Soon gamers everywhere will be trying to get the highest score in pissing. Sega's Toylet is a gaming console built into urinals that allow men to play mini-games and compete against one another in multiplayer. Yes, multiplayer pissing. Apparently, Sega figured that we didn't play video games enough. I feel sad for the lady gamers that won't be able to properly enjoy this great new thing we didn't ask for.

Parents Blame Battery Factories for Mass Lead Poisoning of Chinese Children

200 children have become sick with lead poisoning in the eastern Chinese town of Gaohe, and about all the local government could offer parents in way of compensation is four hundred yuan (roughly $60) and a box of apples and bananas.

And Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet the Evangelist

After requesting a design from their fans, The Gorillaz' newest band member, "The Evangelist," appeared in their cartoon world today. Fan site member jirouta's drawing was selected and redrawn by band member Jamie Hewlett resulting in a very intriguing character.