Game Reviews

I just finished Star Wars Republic Commando, and since I'm a little late to it (it has been out since winter) I won't post a full review, just a slight thing on it. Expect it sometime this week. Also, I bought Jade Empire for $20 and have just played the first hour and a half of it. So far just some story telling, and occasional action that lasts around 30 secs, maybe a minute at most. I will give a full review for it after I finish it, or play through it twice (closed palm and open fist ways.) Look forward to some great and maybe not so great games!

Top 10 Web Fads

Web fads. No idea what I mean exactly? Look at this list (with my comments) from Cnet.

1. Hampsterdance

2. Mahir

3. All Your Base Are Belong To Us - Check out my post here for a bit of what it has inspired.

4. Dancing Baby - Many an e-mail with this in it.
5. Hot or Not - Still going strong (google maps hack integrates it.)

6. Friendster - I thought this was a great idea that could be used for more than meeting new people. The idea has sprung up in other programs, like Xfire, where you can see friends of friends.

7. Ellen Feiss - My favorite version was the Dark Side Switch...

8. Star Wars Kid - Good times...

9. Blogger - I have never heard of this service...I wonder what it does.

10. JibJab

Go to Cnet for summaries and links to where you can find them.

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Microsoft Longhorn is now officially.....Windows Vista!!! Announced by Microsoft today, the first full Beta build will be out on August 3 of this year, targeted toward developers and IT professionals. I have gotten so used to calling it Longhorn, now I will have to think before saying it. Windows Vista. I don't know if I like a full word there, instead of an abbreviation. How about we call it Windows "V." That's kind of cool. Anyway, here is a link to the PressPass, and on the page is a video of the unveiling.

Halo 2 "Banhammer" Update

The other day, Bungie released an auto-update for Halo 2, which would supposedly help them with banning modders, cheaters, boosters, and all other evil things. I guess it has worked. After a couple days, they have banned approximately 2,550 people on Live. So, now we know that Bungie can stick to their word. They also released a "Mini FAQ" for the AU. Here are some that are helpful.

"Q: Once I installed the update I'm no longer able to load maps and/or it takes an incredibly long time. What gives?

A: As with prior updates, once this is installed, it will clear the cache of your Xbox where the maps get loaded. This means that when you go to play, it will take longer than usual as it reloads the maps back into cache. The AU itself has not damaged your Xbox or your game.

Q: I can't download the AU at all. It tells me there's an update available and when I go to download it I get an error message. What's up?

A: We have heard reports that people who have modified content on their Xbox may have intentionally or unintentionally altered or corrupted the program used to run the Xbox Live downloader. If you can't get the AU, you can't play Halo 2 on Live at all. If you're experiencing issues with the downloader itself, please follow the Xbox support recommendations listed above. " Full Article

Motorola RAZR Slide

Everyone knows about the Motorola RAZR. Extra thin, sleek looking, awesome phone. Even though it is really expensive, everyone wants one. There have been rumors of a RAZRberry, and the RAZR Slide. Now we get some concept art of the slider. If this is real, I'm in love.

Google is Mapping the Stars...Er...Moon

Google had a new feature up this morning (and all the other news sites had it up early too!) that allows you to use a Google Maps type interface, except you have satellite images of the moon! In commeration of the first lunar landing in 1969, they have gotten the imagry from Apollo's 11-17 for your viewing pleasure. It is pretty cool, and zoom all the way in to see a cool Easter Egg. Go check out Google Moon.

Far Cry Instincts Artificial Intelligence

I liked Far Cry for the PC. It is lush and big, and the multi-player was really fun (pink cowboys!), but my PC doesn't run it that well, even at minimum specs (I had a demo). When I heard it was coming to Xbox, I felt the same way I did when I heard Half-Life 2 was coming to the Xbox. Less of a need to buy a new graphics card! As long as the Xbox version has great graphics, fun multi-player, and excellent AI, I would be hooked. I guess I am assured to one of these.

"Instincts' AI is based on the PC version, and has been adapted for the console version. We kept the wide-open environments we had on the PC, and the AI is able to go anywhere the player goes and hunt him down. This is very important, because in the first part of the game, the player will be prey. It means that having enemies tracking you is a major point.


The game has procedural AI, allowing the player to play either stealth/tactical or aggressive. The AI will react differently depending on how you choose to play. It offers more replay value and satisfaction than scripted AI.

For Instincts, we made some optimization for console needs and some enhancements. In the AI system, we added a tool to integrate the story into the experience, because in Instincts all story events are interactive." Full Article

Gaming Case Mods

This site has some awesome mods on it. The page I linked is one that has some cool "game related" mods. It has a few pictures, but also some links to others. I personally like the Half-Life 2 case (below), but some of the others are awesome. The Doom 3 case mod is really cool, and you can keep up with his progress. He started in September and is still working, and his efforts are really showing. It looks awesome, and is only 75% done! What about the Hidden and Dangerous 2 Ammo Boxes? There are a ton of awesome mods, which I could never do if I tried full time. Great job modders!

Web makes TV a medium for the masses

As I know, and you very well should know, Systm is a great technology how-to show. If only it was ed out a whole lot faster, we would be watching a part of Tech TV. The quality is great, and what they do is really cool. Apparently, CNET thinks the same thing.

"But the increasing availability of cheap storage, fast processors, and high-quality compressed video is giving rise to another tech phenomenon. Some folks are taking television into their own hands and making the kind of programming they want themselves.
This isn't the Web's version of public access either. One of the highest-quality examples is a show called Systm, a part of the Revision3 network, an entirely Web-only TV network. Systm is hosted by former TechTV personalities Kevin Rose and Dan Huard. Frustrated by the disappearance of that network, the two have set off on their own to make a network-quality show.

Revision3 distributes its shows under the Creative Commons license, meaning it can distribute the shows for free and allow others to distribute them without worrying about losing copyright protection." Full Article

Cool.

Electronic Arts and Valve in Publishing Agreement

Electronic Arts. I really don't have that much against them. OK, really I think they are the Google of the video game industry. I like their games, but I don't like how they will have a monopoly on certain game genres, like the NFL, and all the other sports licenses they have picked up. And when they bought out 20% of Ubisoft’s stock, it gave me an even bigger reason to ...dislike...them. Now, it is ok to publish a companies game, but I don't think that Valve will get as much money as they would of now. Oh yeah, I haven't told you yet. Valve and EA have gone into a Half-Life agreement, so that EA will publish Valve's console games. Valve will still publish the PC ones. Now, I will give you some quotes, and what I think of them.

"We consider Half-Life and Counter-Strike to be two of the best game franchises of all time. We could not be more excited to have the opportunity to help deliver these outstanding games to players around the globe." Well duh, of course you would say that, you are getting the license to it! And you want to deliver these because it will let out a little bit of money I am sure.

"By combining EA's unparalleled operation structure and distribution channel with Valve's award-winning development teams and games community, we've established an awesome combination for delivering great products to console and PC gamers around the world." I thought that you were just doing the console? Valve, in my opinion, has the best means of distribution of mods in any game. You just double click the game server, and it downloads it all in game. If you can't find one cool, or want single player, use Steam. Easier than all the other means of distribution.

I guess I can't stop them, EA is making a very smart move, and it will help their business a lot, but I just like to think that the company won’t influence Valve, and be fully taken over someday.

Old Super Mario Bros. 3 Stuff

Super Mario Bros. 3, is one of my favorite Mario games. The reason: Tanooki Suit. I love the Tanooki Suit! It is also a cool game. I guess if you are still trying to beat it, you need this walkthrough...bad. It is a strategy guide from the original book, so you can play through the game in record time. After you have finished it in less than 10 minutes, how about you check out the making of Super Mario 3. This comes from a Nintendo Power, made a long time ago. So if you wonder how the old school games are made, this is fun. They actually had to draw out the level before doing it! So go check out the Super Mario Bros. 3 Worship Temple of Doom.

Review - Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, Part 2

As promised, here is part two of the Halo 2 Map review. This one has every map included and a brief review.

OK, now to the actual fun factor. These maps are brilliant. Graphics are pumped up a little notch because they aren't in real-time and no memory issues stopped them. The come with a range of small, medium, large, and extra large. Below will be a list of all of them and some about them.

Containment - The largest Halo map ever. It has huge that have the biggest explosions in the game! A ton of vehicles! And is great for CTF! This map I wasn't able to test, because we could never get enough people to play (I think top was 5) but I did explore it on my own time. The look like they will do some damage, and effect gameplay. A flag carrier riding in a Warthog, that jumps a hill only to land on top of a mine, then they explode.

Turf - One of my favorite maps in any game ever. This is a small/medium, with a top and bottom part of the map. Set in New Mombasa, it has a huge Scarab crashed down into a wall, which is fun to watch. We played every game type on this map, and loved Crazy King, Oddball, Territories, and the best, Slayer. This is my new Battle Creek for Slayer matches. The Warthog actually helped me in game more than once. There are some nice sniper spots, and I was getting shot at so I went to the 'Hog and crouched down, so they couldn't get me.

Terminal - A fun Slayer with a range of people, and would be a great CTF. It has a train running through the middle, which if you are hit by it, you die. It is really fun when you stand on the opposite side of the tracks in a Swords match, waiting for the other to come across, and when he does, he gets splattered. It also has a Wraith.

Elongation - A great Slayer and CTF. It is based on Longest, and has conveyer belts and boxes, with two floors. Be sure to get the Brute Shot, my favorite weapon on the map.

Relic - Takes place an island, and this one makes for great memorable CTF matches. Attackers can go straight towards the base in a 'Hog, ride around and grab the Rocket Launcher, or activate the teleporter for quick access to and from your base. This also means the Defense can do the same.

Backwash - This one is from the swamp in Halo 1. It is murky and you can't see a lot at all. Play this with Phantom Slayer, weapons are shotguns. Make for an intense shootout, since you can never tell where anyone is.

Warlock - This is based on Wizard, so I played Wizard again after this, and yes, it is the same with a few small differences. We played Slayer on this and it was pretty fun, then some regular CTF, which is all right. Then we played four team CTF, with one person per team. I had a blast, but they didn't, considering I won the match within a minute, with 3-0-0-0 as the final score. If you have people who love this, play it with them, you'll have a great time.

Sanctuary - It is completely symmetrical, so good for the usual CTF and Assault types, but I had fun with Slayer. The turrets are either good or bad, for both people. Snipers can have fun, but Battle Rifles and other medium range weapons are best. Rocket Slayer is nice...

Gemini - This map reminds me of Midship (which I don't play a lot of) but is actually pretty fun. Phantom Slayer on this is cool, where you can trick your friends with the doors. Some good sniper spots, if your a good sniper, but I liked the sneak-up-and-slice-them tactic with my sword, which blends in with my surroundings in some places.

Final Verdict: If you really need these maps and don't have Xbox Live, then get them now, you will love them. These are the best Halo maps that sit beside Zanzibar, Lockout, Gulch, and Battle Creek. But, if you have Xbox Live, get them there. And if you just occasionally play with friends over, then stick to the classics. In my case, it was a $20 well spent.

First Xbox 360 Pictures From The "Wild"

This kids, is why you don't post pictures of you playing an Xbox 360 because nobody believed you had one. This person has an Xbox 360, and he is playing Halo 2 on it. Well, not actually playing, more like sitting at the start-up screen for Halo 2, but whatever. These are the first photos of the 360 in the "wild". He posted the pictures because everyone thought he was another liar. Well, they are cool pics, but he got it because of his step dad, who is the new Regulatory Compliance Manager for Microsoft. Whoops, hope your step dad doesn't lose his job! Ever heard of a "Non-Disclosure Agreement"? Of course, it could be a ploy by Microsoft to get hype up, and show that they are almost finished for sale! He says he likes the controller, and the dashboard is cool. He didn't have any 360 games to play, so I guess that is about all he could say about it. Anyway, here are the pictures (that it looks like someone else took?)

This Week in Tech Live Audience

This is it. We are getting closer and closer to an online tech network. With Systm, Diggnation, Command-N, This Week in Tech, From the Shadows, and all the other cool stuff, I thought we were already in a Tech TV. Now we are even closer. Read this from the shownotes for TWiT Episode 14.

"It's our plan to do TWiT with a live audience starting some time in September. We're looking for a venue to host us somewhere in San Francisco or Marin. Got a place? Email leo@thisweekintech.com."

I remember wanting to go to San Francisco because I wanted to see The ScreenSavers live! Now seeing them back together again, it will be cooler! I posted a comment that they should record a video of it for all of us who want to go, but probably can't. Maybe you could start with segments, like from Systm and such. :D I'm happy!

P.S. Pick up episode 14 now...and all the ones you haven't heard.

Review - Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, Part 1

This is a big review since I am going to put in something about each of the maps, so I am going to split it into two. This is part one.
I got the new Halo 2 Map Pack at Wal-Mart last week, and I have had a blast with it. With a cost of $20, is it really worth it? Well, it depends. The disc comes with the 9 new multi-player maps, and if you haven't unlocked Foundation yet, you get that too. An auto-update. A cinematic called "A Day At The Beach." A video that has the designers and programmers at Bungie talk about each of the new maps, and the cinematic. You also get a funny sound test, the Halo 1 trailer from E3 2000, and the first Halo 2 trailer from 2002.

The cinematic is about the group of ODST soldiers that got their Pelican shot down. It shows their struggles, and what exactly happened between the two parts you see in the game. Pretty cool, fills in some stuff, and has better graphics because it isn't real-time.

The auto-update does a lot of things. If you have Xbox Live, you already have this, so don't worry. The most notable changes are making the Brute Shot stronger, lowering time to explode, raising damage, and weakening some dual-wield combo's. I like what it did, even if it took some getting used to. s are now my best friends.

Now that you know what you are getting let's talk maps. Four of these maps have been available for download for a while, and now they are free. The other ones cost $12 on Live, but will be free in August. I paid $20 for them all, and those videos. I don't know if the extra $8 is made up by the one cinematic and trailers I can download online. I think that Xbox Live players should hold off, but others, wait for my next review to fully tell.

Now, part two will be coming either at the end of the day or tomorrow, whatever I see fit. (Note: it is already done)

Optimus "The LED" Keyboard

Check out these pictures of the Optimus keyboard. It is a keyboard with LEDs built into every key, which can change to make different pictures. For instance, it could be an "a", then an "A" after you hit the shift key. Or you can have little shortcuts, to aotumatically open up iTunes or Photoshop. If you are playing a game, you can make the keys have arrows to walk, and a rocket launcher to select that weapon, or a picture of a to throw one. Or in Photoshop, a little bursh for the brush tool, the possibilities are endless! The keys really don't look that comfortable, and they might cost around $300, but maybe they will get cheaper sometime. A lot cheaper.

Mercenaries Sequel!?!

While I can't say that Mercenaries was my favorite game ever, it was a pretty fun one. The first few days with it seemed cool, blowing up stuff, and picking who to fight with in the war. Then it got sort of repetitive, and when a game gets repetitive, I don't play it. Simple as that. When I heard that there might be a sequel, I was delighted. Maybe they can refine what they did to make it one awesome game! Oh yeah, some stuff about Indiana Jones too.


"Many people think of LucasArts as being the 'Star Wars' company, and traditionally, I suppose, that's been our heaviest SKU," he adds. "However, the plan is absolutely to broaden our interactive gaming sphere with our 'Indiana Jones' IP, and with a number of new intellectual properties, most notably 'Mercenaries,' which we launched in January and which is becoming a brand new franchise for us." Full article

Yay! Sort of. I like Star Wars games, but maybe this will make them actually...pretty fun.

Cool View From Paris

I have never been to the Eiffel Tower, and I really don't plan on going any time soon. It seems cool, but I really have never thought it that awesome until I saw this. A panoramic view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. It is made up of great high-quality photos, where you can read the writing on the rails! It uses QuickTime, so make sure you have it before getting mad because it won't work. If you want to experience a huge height from your house, than this is for you. So go check out this awesome panorama.

List of Next Generation Games

So many (or you could say so little) great games have been announced for either the PlayStation 3 of the Xbox 360, you can't remember which ones are for which system. This site has a list of every announced game, and tells if it is exclusive, or a cross platform between the two. For instance, Call of Duty 2 will be appearing on other sytems beside the Xbox 360, but the PS3 does not have it, so it is counted exclusive. This is great if you just want a list of all the cool stuff, and it looks like their are more games for the 360 than the PS3 at the moment, but the next generation of the Xbox is closer. I want both.

Hyspace - Meet New Video Game Characters

If you ever read the Darth Vader blog, then this is for you. Listen to what the people from Hyrule say in a Myspace environment. Hyspace has blogs for a ton of characters in the Legend of Zelda franchise. It really does range, from Zelda Link and Ganondorf, to Navi, Old Man, Rock, The Moon, and of course, Fish Man. This is some funny stuff, and will keep you laughing for hours. Be sure to check out Error too, he is cool, and my new favorite wasn't-in-a-Zelda-game-but-is-a-really-cool-Zelda-character guy.

Harry Potter and the Two Days of Reading!

If you are wondering why I didn't post yesterday or haven't yet today, it is because I have been reading the new Harry Potter book, The Half-Blood Prince, constantly. I finished it around 3 or so hours ago, and am catching up with the computer world. I know most of you don't read, but I'll tell you some stuff about it! It is good. The first chapter conspiracy theorists will get a kick out of. The second chapter is full of spoilers. Chapters 25-29 keep your heart pumped up, and you can't put the book down during them. It is really a great book overall, and any fan of Harry Potter should get it. (if you don't already!) Fans of fantasy should read it. Heck, at midnight Friday when I got it, the dude behind us said he barely reads, but bought it anyway! Go get it.