Thursday, July 28, 2005

Bought Super G router and 4 Super G NICs for $320

Today, I drove into Woodbury to buy some videogames including a tactical RPG called Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome and Mega Man X5. Makai Kingdom was a strange Japanese game scoring 7.5 out of 10 so without thinking I had bought it. All I did was visit GameStop.com and saw the just arrived box.

Yesterday, I knew the installation date on my broadband service – August 5th. Dad is buying one fairly expensive 802.11 Super G router (Netgear WPN824 + 3 Super G WiFi NICs + 1 802.11G CT card for laptops.) I found out about Super G while looking on the internet two days ago. Super G is 108 Megabits instead of 54 Megabits. All the equipment cost my dad $320. We had to have wireless in our house. CAT5 is too clumsy to network where I live. Having increased freedom to move about is great. The new router has an internal antenna and the newest technology (Multiple In Multiple Out with 128-bit WIP encryption and signal bending technology.) The satellite modem requires MIMO support. I won’t need to worry about mixed B/G single reduction because every computer gets it’s very own Super G network card!


My Super G Router

Most people don’t own or require WiFi networks even though everyone here knows WiFi networks are popular. Do you realize I had a CAT4 HUB in my house before and the network coming to my house is over 10 times faster! I’ll spare you the details.

Bob didn’t visit me last week. I told him about August 5th over the instant messenger and he gave me thumbs up on that. Bob has a 1.5 Megabit connection. Then I told him about not owning a webcam. He has one and shares his face over the internet via Yahoo Messenger. I am use to seeing webcam slideshows of him over dialup.

[One day later] I met with the IT consolers and we talked about possible job situations. This Norwegian person called Sonya and she’ll help me get a job wherever. It could be web design. I could be making gaming sites for customers. I was actually not hyper or interruptive, but a gentleman in front of those people. Was this smart of me? Possibly. I starred into her eyes to see if she would back out and she wouldn’t. Allen was the other guy, but just a supervisor although he commented.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Resident Evil 5

I’ve seen Resident Evil 5 screenshots for Playstation 3. There isn’t enough screenshots, but I believe that it could be either Iraq or Mexico. The buildings look concrete and that’s popular in Mexico, South America or Middle East. That guy in the screenshots (quite possibly the main character) could be Chris Redfield from Resident Evil 1. Don’t take my word for it, but it does show off the Playstation 3 doesn’t it? RE5 is quite comparable to graphics of the PC version of Half-life 2. I got these off Residentevilfan.com. I will have enough money to afford PS3 in August 2006. This doesn’t relate to how game plays since that’ll be the key to it’s success. Resident Evil 4 for Gamecube didn’t have full motion video except for the opening movie. RE4 plays like any modern survival horror game like Fatal Frame 2 or Silent Hill 4.


Tuesday, July 19, 2005

3.9 Terabyte HVD DISC in the making! Holy Crap

After searching Google on information on the generation after Blu-ray & HD-DVD I’ve came up with Holographic Versatile Disc. The 2x HVD-ROM is 40 times faster than a 16x DVD-ROM. It’ll be able to read CDs and DVDs. The HVDs use a blue-green laser. I could fit my console and PC games + my whole mp3 collection on 1 HVD with space left over. The project is financed by the HVD Alliance with Toshiba as the primary investor. The companies who invested in HVD are:

• CMC Magnetics Corporation
• Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
• Konica Minolta Optical, Inc.
• Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co., Ltd.
• EMTEC (MPO International)
• Nippon Paint Co., Ltd.
• Toshiba Corporation
• Optware Corporation
• Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Ovalrock
• Software Architects, Inc.
• Toagosei Co., Ltd.



HVD uses a 532nm blue green laser at a .125 Gigabyte/second transfer rate. 16x DVDs transfer 1350 kB/s. HVDs bothers me because I’ve only been able to burn on DVDs within the last 16 months. Consumer HVDs will start appearing in 2007 at the cost of Blu-ray is now. You could fit 213 full DVD movies on that very one disc according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia quotes, “the books in one of the largest libraries in the world, the US Library of Congress, contain about 20 terabytes of ANSI text.” If US congress hires people to transfer book text into digital text for Internet all day is beyond me, but it seems like a realistic assumption. Someone who can accord the really expensive HVD burner burns the information on DL-HVD (3.9 GB) – data would be outdated within weeks. The world is ready for HVD. Nero Burning Rom 6 supports DL-HD-DVD and DL-Blu-ray discs already. I was like…Wow! Historical data is okay, but other data that changes a lot shall be kept on CD or DVDs. My Cisco books are illegal to bring to my college class. The information in them is still good, but not bleeding edge any longer. Brings up my thought of downloading free Linux. I tend to play around with Knoppix a lot. I stopped installing Suse or Redhat partitions on my HDD fore I fell in love with LiveCDs

Sunday, I’ve installed Doom 3 and Battlefield 2 onto my hard drive after I’ve bought BF2 at Target at 1 AM Saturday. Downloaded and installed the newest patch (v1.2) for Battlefield 2. I went into the single player campaign and couldn’t find a way get out of the spectator mode. What I needed was in-your-face action! I selected my Special Forces rifle and platoon (bots) than the enemy’s platoon, but the game began without me! Battlefield 2 gives me control of GIs, aircraft, boats, tanks, “2 1/2”, gun turrets, and all the 21st century weapons. After spending 15 minutes figuring out how to start fragging….I just gave up. This FPS looks fun BTW. Six months ago I’ve played Call of Duty. It’s probably something very simple. Something I can solve if I tried.

Saturday night, my mother required a memory stick /w more storage for my 3.3 Megapixel camera. She’d bought the Memory Stick Pro so I had to reinsure that she bought the memory stick instead. I got to install that 256 MB memory stick into my USB thumb drive!

That employment interview didn’t happen Friday. An important person required to make the magic happen wasn’t available. She had urgent business to attend to. A pain in the ass was what it was.

When I was in the DVR building, my dad was speaking to my employment consoler about the state of Germany in the 60s. The reason why I am living today is my father hadn’t gone to Vietnam in the beginning. Afterwards, my dad got into a conversation about late 80s Internet because it loosely had to do with industrial networking now-a-days. The network techies haven’t came to my house to install Wild Blue (two way satellite service) yet. I hate the county…. here I am with twelve days left in the month with no broadband access!

[2.5 hours later] Aunt Lois and I came back from New Richmond after not finish seeing War of the Worlds. I was staring at some sophomores and I’ve heard them chatting about that guy behind them who was looking at them (me). Yes, I was looking at them because it’s been very long since I’ve seen 16 yrs olds do their “girlie chat.” I wanted to say hello, but feared my aunt would see me talking to sophomores. They didn’t know me, but I could have sworn I’ve had heard, “that man’s face looks like that blog I was looking at.” I must’ve been thinking that thought which scared the jebbers out of me. I’ve heard words “barely ahead” over and over again so I left and the words in my head went away. It was 15 minutes into the War of the Worlds when Tom Cruise just saw “encounters of the 1st kind” in the sky. I told my aunt that I chickened out. At home, I called Bob (my pal) who was driving to work from New Richmond unlike normal.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Brand new videogames:

• Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (©2005 DICE)
• Star Wars Battlefront (©2005 Lucas Arts)

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Known Playstation 3 Projects

I don’t usually copy paste information on my blog, but this is Playstation 3 software we’re talking about! I’m a PS fan like many 20 years olds and have decided to post this seven page long insider on PS3 games from IGN. Playstation 3 looks like it’ll be primary a first person shooter gamers’ heaven. I’m one of them. Thanks IGN.

6GUN II
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Publisher: TBA
Developer: BattleBorne Entertainment
Genre: Tactical Third-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA 2007

What We Know: Though the first 6GUN isn't even out for the current generation of systems yet, Nevada-based BattleBorne Entertainment is already prepping the PS3 follow-up for 2007. Regrettably little else has been revealed about either game up to this point, so there isn't really much else to talk about. The only remaining details that we know is that the franchise will be similar in concept to THQ's tactical shooter Full Spectrum Warrior and that the PS3 version will run on a brand new proprietary engine that's been codenamed Raptor.

Ian’s opinion: I’m more into first person shooters I guess. Okay so all RPGs are 3rd person and I like it them most.

Avalon
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Publisher: TBA
Developer: Climax Studios
Genre: Vehicular Shooter
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: The same Brighton team that was responsible for the popular MotoGP series has been working on its first next-generation title for the last two years. Known as Avalon, Climax Studio's PS3 and Xbox 360 combat racer is quickly nearing completion. Running on a combination of the company's Blimey 2 engine and the Tomcat Toolset, Avalon is said to built along the same lines as games such as Twisted Metal and Full Auto, only with piloted vehicles available for the land, sea, and air.

Despite the game's advanced developmental maturity, however, Avalon has still never been seen in any capacity outside of Climax's internal studio. This means that the project's art style, feature set, and conceptual designs are still impossible to know. Nonetheless, Climax has at least confirmed that Avalon will boast a number of popular graphical effects including real-time shading and normal mapping, bloom lighting and vivid rendering, and DYNE physics reactions. Last but not least, Avalon will also support several online networking options for competitive play. Expect to hear more on this one fairly shortly.

Ian’s opinion – No comment.

Dark Sector
------------------------
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Digital Extremes
Genre: Stealth Action
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: The very first next-generation game to actually be seen, Dark Sector is still surprisingly enigmatic. Created by the same team responsible for this year's Xbox favorite Pariah, Dark Sector is a brand new stealth action title that follows an intergalactic spy-type named Hayden. From what we can gather by watching the trailers so far, Hayden is charged with traveling to Pluto so that he and his kind (whoever they may be) can move on to an further mysterious place known as the "Dark Sector." As a stowaway on a really big spaceship, Hayden is guided by an off-screen female controller to help him find whatever it is he's looking for. But just like any good stealth game, Hayden gets discovered.

From that moment on, it appears that our protagonist will have a number of special abilities that can be accessed through the use of his armored suit. Creating force fields, turning invisible, and hacking into other machines so that he can control them are the powers that we've seen so far -- and we've even seen a few examples of Hayden telekinetically stealing enemy weapons and employing a dual pistol "bullet time" technique.

Unfortunately, the cold hard facts about Dark Sector are still forthcoming. Whether or not the game plays like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell like the movies suggest are nothing but pure speculation right now. We also don't know what kind of perspective the final game will eventually employ (first, third, multi-angled?) and how much control over hacked machines that you'll gain. Given the relative age of Dark Sector and the fact that there's more footage of the game available than any other confirmed PS3 game, we expect its mysterious status to change rather shortly.

Ian’s Opinion – I’ve had been fan of the Unreal Tournament series since December 1999. Digital Extremes makes first person shooters…probably better ones than iD software could ever make.

The Darkness
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Publisher: Majesco
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Genre: Action
Release Date: TBA 2006

What We Know: Majesco's The Darkness was one of the first next-gen titles that the world found out about, and as a result, we know a little more about this one comparatively. To start, the premise is based on the Top Cow comic book of the same name -- telling the story of mafia hitman Jackie Estacado and the curse he's forced to live with.

You see, on Jackie's 21st birthday he's suddenly possessed by an unknown power known as "The Darkness," and from the moment on he finds himself at war with his former employers in the Franchetti crime family and its boss, Cousin Paulie. Naturally, a big part of the game's storyline will be how Jackie struggles with the sentient Darkness while simultaneously battling the Franchettis, as well as fleshing out the backstory of the Darkness itself.

Gameplay is said to be completely non-linear with camera perspectives in both the third and first-person views. Moreover, The Darkness continues the trend of several of the PS3's upcoming titles in that it will boast completely destructible environments -- including stages that take place in New York City's slums, harbors, subway tunnels, and rooftops. And as expected, the enemies found within these levels are all inspired by Marc Silvestri's own dastardly creations from the comic book.

For us, the most promising aspect of the game is its development team Starbreeze Studios. The same crew responsible for the excellent Chronicles of Riddick, Starbreeze has shown that it definitely knows how to mix the finer points of technology with strong gameplay. But rather than just rest on its laurels and use an updated version of the Riddick engine for The Darkness, the production team has built an all-new engine specifically for this game. Sounds good to us.

Devil May Cry 4
----------------------------
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Talk about your obscure confirmations. The only thing we know about Devil May Cry 4 at this point is that the line "We are born, the innocent suffer, legends are made, evil is punished" appears as the tagline and that a very high-res Dante is standing in front of an ancient castle obscured by a snowstorm. Everything else about the game is a complete and total secret, and with a release date that has yet to be disclosed there's no telling how long it will be again before we hear anything else.

Ian’s Opinion – I have Devil May Cry 1 and 3. Part 4 looks like it takes place after part 3. Wouldn’t mind having it in my collection if I could afford PS3.

EA Sports Fight Night Round 3
---------------------------------------
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Chicago
Genre: Sports (Boxing)
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: One of the best-looking PS3 games on display at Sony's E3 press conference was EA Chicago's boxing sequel, EA Sports Fight Night Round 3. The first and only confirmed PlayStation 3 title by Electronic Arts so far, Fight Night Round 3 had plenty of cool features to show off (like the brand new one-handed push off move and a few new punch animations). But it was the facial features and the emotion shown on top of them that was the biggest hit with the crowd. As an example, both pugilists showed real anger when rearing up for devastating punches and followed them up with expressions of pain, confusion, and arrogance.

Game designer Kudo Tsunoda went on to mention that Round 3 will also boast the best physics of any boxing game to date -- with individual reactions to whichever part of the body or face is struck depending on the angle and power of the punch. Gameplay differences compared to the first two titles weren't mentioned, so additions or subtractions in regards to the popular "Total Punch Control" feature are still up in the air.

Eyedentify
-----------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: TBA
Genre: Camera and Voice-Controlled Adventure
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: With the PS3's multiple technologies it only makes sense to want to use them, and that's exactly what Eyedentify aims to do with uses for both the HD-IP camera and the vocal headset attachment. Judging by the official teaser, the game looks like it will be a similar experience to Konami's PS2 title LifeLine... only this one's a lot more sophisticated.

In it, players will be able to use their headset to vocally command two smokin' hot female agents as they plant bombs, infiltrate places they aren't supposed to go, and perform other secret agent inspired tasks. The cool thing is that the HD-IP camera will allow users to put themselves in the game as well -- projecting their captured image into various designated hotspots. How much more there is to Eyedentify than that, we just don't know yet.

Fifth Phantom Saga
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Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Okay, so the idea behind Fifth Phantom Saga intrigues us but we're not exactly sure what to make of it yet. SEGA and Sonic Team's first PS3 title is a first-person shooter that allows players to command a Guyver-like apparition as a supplement to their very capable assault rifle. And while details pertaining to how this guy works are still under wraps, we can tell by the video that the blue specter dude is imperative when it comes to solving environmental puzzles (in the teaser, the apparition deactivates a force field, moves a couple of boxes, and takes care of some enemies out of range in a nearby alleyway). Sadly, that's all we know for now. But on a more entertaining note, did anyone else notice that this is an FPS whose initials are also FPS? No? Okay, so it's just us then.

Final Fantasy 7 PS3
---------------------------------
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: RPG
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Much to the dismay of the 2000-plus people in attendance at Sony's E3 2005 press conference, the next Final Fantasy game won't be a remake based on the FF7 Tech Demo used to show off Square's programming chops, but rather an all-new title designed specifically for the PlayStation 3. Confirmed to be in development by Square Enix President Yoichi Wada, the first next-gen FF will likely be Final Fantasy XIII. But until any official details about the story, release date, and mechanics come to light, no other information other the game's eventual existence is currently unknown.

Ian’s opinion – I’m a more than average Final Fantasy fan. It’s a mainstream game. You’re cool if you own this game!

Formula One PS3
------------------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: SCE Studios Liverpool
Genre: Racing
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: The first of several trailers that showcased the next generation of videogames after Sony Europe's tech demos, Formula One PS3 is one of the most difficult games to judge. Like a few of the other titles on our list, we're still unsure how much of F1's high-speed trailer was real or rendered. But regardless of the truth, it still gave us a good idea of what to expect in game's the final version (such as drivers celebrating their victories with champagne after a race and axles breaking individually while taking bad turns). Sony Europe is also claiming that when completed, Formula One will make groundbreaking advances in AI and physics calculations -- and if the whole thing turns out anything like the trailer, we'll believe it.

The Getaway PS3
-------------------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: SCE Studios Soho
Genre: Action
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: In the UK, Sony's The Getaway franchise is one of the most successful PS2 series around. And with the announcement that there's already a PS3 version of the game in the works, our European buddies have been begging us for new information since the news of its existence first hit. Sadly, there's really nothing to report about it right now other than the fact that the early movies of the game's environments are stunningly beautiful. Almost an exact replica of London's Regent Street, the single stage that Sony showed off at its E3 press conference was almost photo-realistic. We can only hope that the gameplay will match.

Heavenly Sword
-----------------------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Ninja Theory
Genre: Action
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Originally thought to be an Xbox 360 game by Microsoft fans, Heavenly Sword is in all actuality a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Developed by the same team that did the quirky party-oriented actioner Kung Fu Chaos, this next generation ninja drama follows a warrior woman with only a few days left to live. Before she dies, the girl decides to enact one last good deed by taking out a ruthless king and his invading army. Along the way players will explore a multitude of environments that include wasted battlefields, forested treetops, watery rivers, and even the heavens themselves.

The most interesting aspect of Heavenly Sword, though, is its complex battle system and enemy behavior. As not only will each enemy employ a number of multifaceted cinematic attacks, but the heroine herself will be able to battle them via an innovative freestyle combat system. This means that not only will the she-ninja be able to swap between multiple sword types and other weapons on the fly, but also be able to engage her foes in one-on-one battles, dozen-enemy skirmishes, or even take on several thousand soldiers at once. Players can expect a state of the art physics system and destructible landscapes as well.

I-8
----------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: For proof that the guys at Insomniac love first-person shooters, all you have to do is look at their history. The group's very first videogame, after all, was the PSOne classic Disruptor, and last year's Up Your Arsenal and the forthcoming Ratchet: Deadlocked are both very heavy on the FPS elements. But with its initial PlayStation 3 blaster simply entitled I-8, Insomniac has finally gotten the chance to create its first full-fledged shooter since Disruptor debuted almost ten years ago.

One of the few PS3 trailers from Sony's E3 press conference that's actually running in real time, I-8 (not the final title, but a codename to represent the fact that it's Insomniac's eighth project) looks like a cross between Call of Duty and DOOM. There are dozens of allied soldiers on the screen at the same time, and plenty of bizarre-looking alien things for them to battle against. Of the stages shown (a village, several forest areas, abandoned roadways), each and every one seems to have some sort of limited environmental destructibility and the end of the trailer boasts a very cool Starship Troopers-like spider creature. Sadly, details outside of the video teaser just don't exist yet.

Ian’s Opinion – I happen to own Half-life 2 and had beaten it by myself without God mode on. This game looks a lot like Valve’s masterpiece. This game won’t have the game play of Half-life 2 because it rocked, but it’s probably be a 8.5 out of 10 game.

Infraworld
--------------------------------
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Quantic Dream
Genre: Action
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: One of two confirmed PlayStation 3 games that Quantic Dream is currently building, Infraworld is one of the most mystifying titles on our list. In fact, the game is so shrouded in secrecy that we know absolutely nothing about its storyline, visual style, or concept. The only thing we do know is that it runs on Quantic's proprietary next-gen gaming engine and that it features AGEIA's recently popular accelerated physics technology. We also know that Infraworld boasts "action-oriented features" of some sort. Celebration!

Killing Day
-------------------------------
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: TBA
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Ubisoft's only confirmed PlayStation 3 title joins dozens of other games in being mysterious. Granted, we don't know very much about Killing Day right now, but that doesn't mean that there isn't at least a little bit to talk about. The game's focus, for instance, is obviously going to be that of a first-person shooter with a gruff and tattooed lead character. Additionally, the environments appear to be highly destructible (exploding popcorn carts anyone?) and the enemies bleed a whole lot when you shoot them. Also confirmed is the ability to dual-wield certain pieces of your arsenal (including the only revealed weapon thus far, automatic handguns) and a level that resembles a three-story mall. See? We told you there was stuff to talk about!

Killzone PS3
----------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerilla Games
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: It's currently unknown if Killzone PS3 will eventually become Killzone 2 or something else entirely, but one thing's for sure: the war with the Helghast will definitely continue on the PlayStation 3. Rather than just recreate the gameplay elements of the first Killzone while giving it a better coat of paint, however, developer Guerilla Games is already working on specific mechanical improvements to make it a more complete experience.

Interaction between you and your NPC cohorts, for example, will be a lot more realistic. People will help each other during battle by dragging the injured out of a firefight or by tossing you an extra weapon if you run out of ammo. Characters will be entirely aware of their environment and surroundings too, and they'll even have sophisticated adaptation behaviors that help them respond to problems on the fly. Finally, all of these reactions will be played out emotionally on each of your teammate's faces and the direction of the action will be a lot more cinematic along the way.

But that's not all. A few other gameplay tidbits have been confirmed as well. The progression of each level, for instance, will be completely non-linear and will boast a number of destructible objects and environments. Additionally, users will be able to command a multitude of vehicles through the land, sea, and air, and even be able to customize the specifics of their online play.

Despite the above details, however, the biggest controversy about the game has been the nature of the drop-dead gorgeous trailer that ran at Sony's E3 press conference. Is it real-time or is it rendered? The official answer from SCEA Vice President Jack Tretton is that it was real and actual gameplay, but SCEE Executive VP of Development Phil Harrison has stated that some of the trailers during the presentation were rendered using in-game assets. We're leaning towards Harrison's answer right now until we can play the game for ourselves -- but either way, the trailer rocked.

Ian’s Opinion – Looks Good. Also a first person shooter so the likely hood of me interested is a lot. May not be my first PS3 game, but could be one of my first three purchases!

Metal Gear Solid 4
-------------------------------------
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Developer: Kojima Productions
Genre: Stealth Action
Release Date: TBA 2007

What We Know: The most popular PS3 game to come out E3 2005 was undoubtedly Metal Gear Solid 4. In development by Hideo Kojima's newly-formed creation studio Kojima Productions, MGS4 will take place three years after Sons of Liberty and introduce a game concept not yet explored by the series: "nowhere to hide." Additionally, there will be an online battle mode included for the final version and Solid Snake will be the main character once again.

Remaining details about the game are harder to find than Snake using a cloaking device, but press materials have confirmed at least seven more characters that will appear. Vamp, Meryl Silverberg, Revolver Ocelot, Otacon, and Raiden are the ones we can recognize without any trouble, while two remaining players look eerily similar to Big Boss and Naomi Hunter. In a recent interview with IGN, Kojima also acknowledged that the first official trailer provides several hints regarding MGS4's eventual gameplay mechanics -- the Russian symbol on Snake's uniform and the use of disguises were the moments we found most interesting. Of course, we still have a long way to go before we learn any more.

Mobile Suit Gundam
--------------------------------------
Publisher: Bandai
Developer: TBA
Genre: Unknown
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Bandai knows how to keep quiet, as next to nothing about the PlayStation 3 version of Mobile Suit Gundam is known right now. To be truthful, the only thing we can really confirm is that a Gundam of some type will be in it -- that's about it. Naturally, we think that Sony's E3 press conference may provide some clues as to what to expect, with the appearances of GM Mobile Suits, multiple Zakus, a Gun Tank, a Zauf Custom, and the RX-78 among them. But can we assume that all of these units will make the final roster? Does all the gunfire mean that the game will be shooting-oriented in nature? Frankly, we'll just have to wait to find out.

MotorStorm
---------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Evolution Studios
Genre: Racing
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Developed by the WRC team at Evolution Studios, MotorStorm was one of the biggest hits of Sony's 2005 E3 press conference. Though questions swirl about how much footage was in-game and how much was rendered, the trailer itself was still one of the most impressive PS3 displays we've seen. Plus, the fact that the game is 100% PlayStation 3 exclusive is enough to garner even more interest.

As for the gameplay, the teaser hints at some truly vicious off-road racing (which the development team has also confirmed as "brutal"). The environment will play a big role in the progression of a race too, as mud, grit, and oil changing the landscape on a regular basis. What's more is that players can choose whatever vehicles they want and pit them up against whatever opponents they want -- ATVs, dirt bikes, sand rails, monster trucks, tally cars, and a bunch of other unnamed vehicles among them. Expect plenty of horseplay and an absolute disregard for rules.

Ni-Oh
--------------------------
Publisher: KOEI
Developer: KOEI
Genre: Action
Release Date: Summer 2006

What We Know: Formerly known as Akira Kurosawa's Oni, Ni-Oh is KOEI's first PS3 title and is being described as "the ultimate in historical action." What that actually means is anybody's guess, but given KOEI's history with games like Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, and Crimson Sea, you can bet that Ni-Oh will have lots of guys onscreen with plenty of hacking and slashing to go along with them.

In fact, the official E3 trailer alluded to this very type of gameplay, as the blonde-haired / blue-eyed main character sliced the living crap out dozens of Japanese warriors. Blood was shed and combos were everywhere. The most interesting moments of that teaser, though, were the bizarre bull-like creatures that were fighting against the humans. What are they? Where are they from? And will they have any bearing on the gameplay other than just being enemies? Right now, we just don't know.

Omikron 2
------------------------------
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Quantic Dream
Genre: Unknown
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Like Quantic Dream's other game Infraworld, almost nothing about Omikron 2 has publicly been revealed. Screenshots, movies, and technology demos don't even exist yet because the game is still in its conceptual and design doc stages. In fact, the only thing about Omikron 2 that its production team will confirm is that it's currently in development for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, and that it will run on Quantic's proprietary next-gen game engine. The original Omikron was released way back in 1999 for the Dreamcast and PC, and started the likeness and music of David Bowie. It mixed just about every single genre conceivable at the time but was primarily a first-person RPG. Whether Omikron 2 will continue that sort of direction is as of yet, still unknown.

Possession
---------------------------
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Blitz Games
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Release Date: TBA 2007

What We Know: It's quite possible that Blitz Games' Possession is the PS3 title that we know the most about. Not scheduled for release until sometime in 2007, the zombie-themed RTS pays homage to several well-known films about the undead. Possession's storyline, for instance, is ripped right out of 28 Days Later; as it follows four activists into a secret research facility where they unwittingly unleash deadly chemicals that turn them into flesh-eating zombies. Afterwards, players take control of the leader (known as "The Enslaver") and use him to command a legion of rotting corpses against the city in an effort to ruin the world. Happy times, no?

The city itself will be pretty expansive (measuring eight kilometers long and six kilometers wide) and boast three main neighborhoods: the suburbs, downtown, and the corporate district. The whole goal of the game is to infect as many humans as possible so they'll join your army, which you can then use to kill more people, grow bigger, and repeat. Along the way you'll be met by the military, police officers, and plenty of other concerned citizens who just so happen to boast weapons like machine guns, pistols, and rocket launchers. Additionally, controls will be simple and are to be designed specifically around the use of a gamepad, and your victims will transform into five specific zombie types.

Possession's most basic type, will be the shambler -- the slow-moving clumsy dead dude that we're all familiar with. Next up are the runners who, like the bad guys of 28 Days Later, can move at high speed and will be able to compete with even the fastest escaping human. Moving forward, Bloaters are essentially walking zombie bombs that explode with infectious destruction when they reach their targets, and shredders can restructure their own flesh to become deadly pack hunters that can climb any surface. This class also has an unusual first-person mode can be used to identify various enemy threats, so you can think of them as your Special Forces units. The last undead class is known as "The Monster," and is for all intents and purposes, a 10-foot tall zombie tank. And while monsters can throw cars and crowds of people around with almost no effort at all, they can't infect people with the zombie virus as other divisions can. There you have your trade-off.

The final aspects to Possession are what we'd expect in any next-gen zombie game -- environments are destructible, neighborhoods live and breathe in a similar way to the Grand Theft Auto games, and there's a definite online multiplayer component. The only questions that remain are the finer points: How good will it look and how fun will it be? Luckily, the next two years should hold the answer.

Project Delta
-----------------------------------
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Playlogic International
Genre: Tactical First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA 2006

What We Know: Pretend for a moment that you're an elite solider thrust into the middle of an alien invasion and you have the general premise of Playlogic's Project Delta. Originally planned as a PS2 and Xbox game, development was switched to next-gen late last year when the team realized that its ambitions were far too big for current platforms (Onimusha flashbacks anyone?). Despite this move to superior hardware, though, Playlogic maintains that one of its coolest features is the narrative written by the same guy that did the Broken Sword series. The team is also pretty high on the alien races themselves known as the Cryzen (made up of fluid metal bodies) and the Dorian (bald armored dudes).

Eventually the storyline gets a little more complicated when your main character is forced to travel 700 years into the past and battle alien enemies to change your planet's fate. Part of the fun here will be figuring out which encountered characters are foes and which ones are allies -- not to mention the level of strategy needed to tactically command your troops ala Rainbow Six. Each of your squadmates will have emotional responses to how you treat them during orders too, and they'll even be able to learn new skills and remember your behavior as the game goes on.

Tekken 6
--------------------------
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Fighting
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Of all the confirmed PlayStation 3 games out there, Tekken PS3 is one of the most mysterious. Developed once again by the graphics experts at Namco, this latest edition of "The King of Iron Fist" will feature Jin Kazama and appear on the PS3... and that's about all there is to tell. Additional cast members, storyline details, and everything else about the game is still shrouded in secrecy (though we did hear one Japanese Namco rep mention that Tekken PS3 will be a fighter and not a Death by Degrees-type action game, so that's good news).

Vision GT
------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Genre: Racing
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: The Gran Turismo series has been one of the most successful franchises in the history of Sony's PlayStation, and if the past proves anything, Vision GT should continue that trend pretty effectively. Unfortunately, details about the gameplay are almost zero right now but at least we do know that Series Producer Kazunori Yamauchi wants to include real world collisions during crashes for the PS3 sequel -- but whether Yamauchi's hope becomes a reality when Vision GT eventually ships, however, remains to be seen.

It should be noted that for the purposes of the E3 trailer, Polyphony Digital ran Gran Turismo 4's car models and stages through the rough equivalent of early PS3 hardware to give viewers a general idea of what the next-gen GT could be like. One peak at El Capitan and the GT4 logos on the pit crew are enough to give that away. The most significant aspect of that trailer, though, is the fact that more than 20 cars were shown onscreen at the same time -- more than double GT4's current limit on the PlayStation 2.

Ian’s Opinion – I find Gran Turismo 4 fun. If they don’t change the game play and improve graphics and sound than that is enough. The Dual Shock 3 resembles the dual shock 2 enough where it would play a lot like GT4. If Polyphony Digital chooses blu-ray Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec and Gran Turismo 4 should be freebees!

Warhawk PS3
-----------------------------------
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Incognito Entertainment
Genre: Unknown
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: In the pre-production stages for quite some time, Warhawk PS3 is the follow-up to 1995's futuristic PSOne flight game of the same name. In the original, players took control of aviation partners Hatch and Walker as they piloted an experimental aircraft against the formidable forces of a madman named Kreel. How this storyline ties into the events of the new Warhawk (and whether or not the valuable Red Mercury substance will make its return) is still unknown. All that's confirmed at this point is that the game is being developed by the remnants of the original SingleTrac production team at Incog and that's about it. Nonetheless, the official E3 2005 Sony press conference trailer did hint that air and ground-based missions could both be a possibility (just watch the tactical shooter-like intro for proof).

Untitled DICE Projects (2)
--------------------------------------------
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Digital Illusions CE
Genre: Unknown
Release Date: TBA 2006/TBA 2007

What We Know: The Battlefield 1942 guys are already working on two PlayStation 3 games for the 2006/2007 shopping seasons, but that's about the only thing we know. Early speculation points to both of these titles being extensions of the Battlefield universe, but with no concrete proof it's nothing more than wishful thinking right now. The one thing we do know, however, is that the first next-gen game will be a port of a PS2 and Xbox title of the same name and that it will be released in late 2006/early 2007. The second game will be exclusive to the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms and will hit store shelves before the end of 2007. Both titles are to be developed by DICE's Swedish studio.

Untitled KOEI Projects (2)
---------------------------------------------
Publisher: KOEI
Developer: TBA
Genre: Unknown
Release Date: TBA

What We Know: Confirmed to be in development by Director and Chief Advisor Kou Shibusawa at Sony's E3 press conference, two additional PlayStation 3 titles other than Ni-Oh are currently in production. No details about the pair were given, except that KOEI considers them both "large titles," and that they will present "all new kinds of entertainment." Let the guessing games begin!

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Buying either iPod Gen4 or Zen Touch today | Ian's Videogame Beaten list

I went to ThreeBlue’s blog and looked at the soccer links thinking soccer really isn’t that bad. Personally, I buy every Winning Eleven videogame that comes out owning three so far. I’ve only seen the 3D graphics of the players and stadiums and British announcers talking who plays what position. Videogames are intelligent enough for the announcers to talk more natural adjusting names within their sentences which surprise me WE9 is coming out August 9, 2005 and shall be bought the first week

The AI knows all the game rules and actually plays itself with aggression, but I much rather be USA or Canada or Germany. The AI has improved since WE6. WE6 can easily match the graphics quality and AI of other soccer games from what I’ve had read. We’re on WE8 which improved team play further. Though there are several cosmetic changes, many subtle alterations have taken place under the hood, and they make WE8 a much more challenging game than previous editions. Players also behave more according to their stats, especially in the case of the large group of licensed stars. Each player animation is now more individual, creating the impression that you're seeing a collection of players on field, rather than a team of clones. Each leans into a kick, or spins away from a tackle in a way that seems personal, rather than programmed. An additional benefit is that Konami has noticeably improved the in-game menus. The result is that moving through the game's front end is much more pleasant.

Later today, I was planning to buy an Ipod which is popular, but then I’ve had heard of its so/so (although better than mine) battery life running on some lithium ion battery. So I decided to go for the Creative Labs Zen Touch 20 GB MP3 player for $220. Apple iPods are great because they have the best sound and above average features and price cuts all the time. Taking 3 seconds longer with a Zen Touch won’t bother me because I know I’m getting much better battery life than either my current one or Generation 4 iPod. If I can play MP3s for 25+ hours I’m all for it. I don’t need AAC, MP4, WMA, WAV, because that’s not what I can find off the Internet. I’m not attacking iPod owners. I’m just telling my point-of-view on the Zen Touch. Afterwards, I was also looking at Cowon iAudio X5 said to offer a 16-bit color LCD, but not as good battery life for $70 more. I saw the NW-HD3, but that wasn’t available to me cheaply. Fact remains, if I was getting a 40 GB MP3 player I would’ve gotten a HP Ipod instead. I’ve all the songs I wanted to listen to on my current Archos Jukebox 20 (2002 model) filling up 11 GB. I could free up 3 GB on that and put it on my new one use both. If I have a working mp3 player why in the world would I purchase another one? I keep saying better battery life to myself. I’m doing this so I can hear near CD quality music off the internet and take it with me

Today, I am listening to some of the rock music on my external hard drive like Metallica and some country music songs I remember in grade school. I am quite tired now…been up for 14 hours. Saw Star Gate first time in years….which is a boring movie. Then I saw The Man Who Cried starring Christina Ricci about a Russian Jew raised in 1930s UK and moved to Paris where she became a showgirl. That was boring also. Fell a sleep in the chair while watching it.

Wonders what my friends have been doing these pass weeks and when I’ll met one of the two again. They’re obviously working during mid-day which I understand. Wonders why no one calls me.

I have an employment meeting tomorrow. It’ll be about computer jobs in general. I’ll try to be polite. I can be rather provocative when it’s my decision. I can tell the DVR person what I want, but the truth is I don’t know exactly. Not knowledgeable enough about the computer industry. Nervous. Can’t think well. Should I bring the game tester / designer comment up or is that a bogus dream of long ago. I have to narrow it down to 5 or less. Difficult.

To top this journal entry off I’ve decided to release the games I’ve beaten in my lifetime and that aren’t a whole lot. I thought heck it’s just text…I could add it to the end and won’t matter to the modem.

Games I have beaten are…..

PC

1. Black and White (once)
2. Diablo
3. Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction
4. Doom 3 (normal difficulty)
5. Dungeon Siege
6. Elder Scrolls 3 Morrowind
7. Half-life
8. Half-life 2 (normal difficulty)
9. Kings Quest VII: The Princeless Bride
10. Oregon Trail 2
11. Simcity 2000
12. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Playstation

1. Final Fantasy VIII
2. Legend of Dragoon
3. Mega Man X4
4. Mega Man X6
5. R4 – Ridge Racer Type 4

GBA

Mario Kart Super Circuit

N64

1. Banjo Kazooie
2. Crusin USA
3. Extreme G
4. Extreme G 2
5. Goldeneye
6. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.
7. Mario Kart 64
8. Perfect Dark
9. Star Fox 64
10. Star Wars Shadows of the Empire
11. Super Mario 64
12. Turok 2 – Seeds of Evil

Sega Dreamcast

1. Crazy Taxi
2. Grandia 2
3. Rayman 2
4. Resident Evil 2
5. Resident Evil 3
6. Resident Evil Code Veronica
7. Sega Rally 2
8. Soul Caliber (Arcade Mode with 6 characters)
9. Skies of Arcadia
10. Speed Devils
11. Sonic Adventure
12. Sonic Adventure 2

Gamecube

1. Extreme G 3
2. Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
3. Mario Kart Double Dash
4. Metroid Prime
5. Resident Evil
6. Resident Evil 4
7. Sonic the Hedgehog
8. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
9. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
10. Star Fox Adventures
11. Super Mario Sunshine
12. TimeSplitters 2

Playstation 2

1. Contra Shattered Soldier
2. Final Fantasy X
3. Final Fantasy X-2
4. Grand Theft Auto 3
5. Gradius V
6. Ico
7. Jak
8. Jak 2
9. Jak 3
10. Kingdom Hearts
11. R-Type Final
12. Silpheed Lost Planet
13. Stella Deus Gates of Eternity
14. Xenosaga Episode 2 Beyond Good or Evil

Xbox

1. Dead or Alive 3
2. Fable
3. Halo
4. Halo 2
5. Guilty Gear X2 Reloaded
6. Rallisport Challenge.
7. Unreal Championship 2

Monday, July 11, 2005

Not Played Game List v1.0

Names of all of my sealed games. A few are worth $50!

Gamecube

Viewiful Joe 2

Playstation 2

Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2
Gran Turismo 4
Atelier Iris Eternal Mana
Suikoden IV
Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal
Katamari Damacy
Sly 2 Band of Thieves
God of War
Digital Devil Saga

Xbox

Mercenaries
Jade Empire
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Doom 3 (FPS, Activision, iD Software, 2005, 9.3)

Game Boy Advance

Golden Sun 2
Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem Sacred Stone

Games never played by me of which I own. Behold the longest list you’ve ever seen and every bit is true. The videogame text file I have on my PC helps immensely. Not only this, but I have 30 Genesis games on CD that’ll play on PS2 not beaten. Those games play exactly like the originals.

Nintendo Entertainment System

1. Donkey Kong (DK Classics, PUZ, Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, 1984, 1986)
2. Donkey Kong Jr (DK Classics, PUZ, Nintendo, Nintendo, 1985, 1986)

Super Nintendo

1. Contra III - Alien Wars (S, RE, Konami, Konami, 1992)
2. Secret of Mana (RPG, RE, Squaresoft, Squaresoft, 1993)
3. Star Fox (S, RE, Nintendo, Nintendo, 1993)
4. Super Mario RPG - Legend of the Seven Stars (RPG, Nintendo, Squaresoft, 1996)
5. Super Metroid (S, RE, Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, 1994)

Sega Genesis

1. Streets of Rage II (F, Sega, Sega-AM7, 1992)
2. Vectorman 2 (S, Sega, Blue Skies, 1996)

Game Boy Color

1. Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages (RPG, Nintendo, Flagship, 2001, 10)
2. Legend of Zelda Oracle of Seasons (RPG, Nintendo, Flagship, 2001, 10)

GBA

1. Golden Sun 2: The Lost Age (RPG, Nintendo, Camelot Software Planning, 2003, 9.1)
2. Final Fantasy 2 in FF: Dawn of Souls (RPG, Square-Enix, Square-Enix, 2003, 8.5)
3. Fire Emblem Advance (STR, Nintendo, Intelligent Systems 2003, 9.5)
4. Fire Emblem - The Sacred Stone (STR, Nintendo Intelligent Systems, 2005, 8.5)
5. Mario & Luigi - Superstar Saga (RPG, Nintendo, Alpha Dream, 2003, 9.0)

N64

1. Castlevania 64 (S, PL, Konami, KCEK, 1998, 8.2)
2. Conker's Bad Fur Day (PL, Nintendo, RARE, 2001, 9.9)

Playstation

1. Arc the Lad (Arc the Lad Collection) (RPG, Working Designs, ARC Entertainment, 2000, 8.8)
2. Arc the Lad II (AtLC) (RPG)
3. Arc the Lad III (AtLC) (RPG)
4. Arc the Lad Tournament (ATLC) (RPG)
5. Chrono Trigger (Final Fantasy Chronicles) (RPG, Square EA, Square, 2001, 9.4)
6. Colony Wars : Vengeance (S, Psygnosis, Psygnosis, 2000, 9.5)
7. Crash Bandicoot - Warped (PL, Sony, Naughty Dog, 1998, 9.1)
8. Legend of Mana (RPG, Square EA, Square, 2000, 8.3)
9. Lunar - The Silver Star Story Complete (RPG, Working Designs, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing, 1999, 7.5)
10. Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy Chronicles)
11. Final Fantasy II (Final Fantasy Origins)
12. Mega Man Legends II (RPG, Capcom, Capcom 2000, 8.1)
13. Silhouette Mirage (PL, Working Designs, Treasure, 1999, 9.0)
14. Star Ocean - The Second Story (RPG, Enix, Tri-Ace, 1999, 8.8)
15. Tale of Destiny (RPG, Namco, Namco, 1997, 7.5)
16. Vagrant Story (RPG, Square EA, Square, 2000, 9.6)
17. Xenogears (RPG, Square, Square, 1998, 9.5)

Sub Total 17 PS1 Games

Sega Saturn

1. Panzer Dragoon (S, Sega, Team Andromeda, 1995, ???)
2. Panzer Dragoon 2 : Zwei (S, Team Andromeda, 1996, ??)
3. Virtua Cop (S, Sega AM2, 1996, ????)
4. Virtua Cop 2 (S, Sega, AM2, 1997, ???)

Sega Dreamcast

1. Fatal Fury - Mark of the Wolves (F, Agetec, SNK, 2001, 9.0)
2. Metropolis Street Racer (Ra, Sega, Bizarre Creations, 2000, 9.1)
3. Shenmue (RPG, Sega, AM2, 2000, 9.7)
4. Typing of the Dead (SH, Sega, Smilebit, 2000, 9.0)

Nintendo Gamecube

1. Baten Kaitos - Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (RPG, CRPG, Namco, Monolith Software, 2003, 8.8)
2. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (RPG, Nintendo, Game Designer's Studio, 2002, 7.6)
3. Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes (A, S, Konami, Silicon Knights, 2003 )
4. Paper Mario 2 - The Thousand Year Door (RPG, Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, 2004, 9.1)
5. Viewiful Joe 2 (S, A, Capcom, Capcom Production Studio 4, 2004, 9.1)

Sub Total 5 GCN Games

Playstation 2

1. Ace Combat 5 (MJS, Konami, Konami, 2004, 9.3 )
2. Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (RPG, NIS America, Gust, 2005, 8.9)
3. Arc the Lad 4 - Twilight of the Spirits (RPG, Sony, Cattle Call, 2002, 8.2)
4. Breath of Fire 5 - Dragon Quarter (RPG, Capcom, Capcom Production Studios 3, 2003, 8.2 )
5. Dark Cloud (RPG, Sony, Level 5, 2001, 8.4)
6. Dark Cloud 2 (RPG, Sony, Level 5, 2003, 9.0)
7. Disgaea Hour of Darkness (RPG, Atlus, Nippion Ichi, 2003, 9.2)
8. God of War (A, Sony, Sony, 2005, 9.8)
9. Grandia Xtreme (RPG, Enix, Game Arts, 2002, 7.5)
10. Growlancer II (Growlancer Generations) (RPG, Game Arts, Career Soft, 2004, 8.6)
11. Growlancer III (Growlancer Generations) (RPG, same, same, same, same)
12. Guilty Gear X (F, Sammy Studios, Arc System Works, 2001, 8.8)
13. Guilty Gear Isuka (also Guilty Gear X3) (F, Sammy Studios, Arc System works, 7.2)
14. Grandia 2 (RPG, Urisoft, Game Arts, 2001, 7.0)
15. La Pucelle - Tactics (RPG, Mastiff, Nippon Ichi, 2004, 8.8)
16. Katamari Damacy (PL, Namco, Namco, 2004, 9.0)
17. Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater (S, A, Konami, Konami, 2004, 9.6)
18. Onimusha 3 - Demon Siege (AF, A, Capcom, Capcom Production Studios 2, 2003, 9.0)
19. Phantom Brave (RPG, NIS America, Nippon Ichi, 2004, 8.6)
20. Ratchet and Clank - Up Your Arsenal (APL, A, Sony, Insomniac Games, 2004, 9.6)
21. Rayman 3 - Hoodlum Havoc (PL, Urisoft, Urisoft, 2003, 8.9)
22. Shadow Hearts 2 - Covenant (RPG, Midway, Nautilus, 2004, 9.1)
23. Sly Cooper and The Thievius Raccoonus (APL, A, Sony, Sucker Punch, 2002, 9.1)
24. Sly 2: Band of Thieves (APL, Sony, Sucker Punch, 2004, 9.2)
25. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (RPG, Atlus, Atlus, 2005, 8.0)
26. Soul Reaver 2 (AF, Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, 2001, 9.0)
27. Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (S, Lucas Arts, Lucas Arts, 2001, 9.0)
28. Suikoden IV (RPG, Konami, Konami, 2005, 7.9)
29. Summoner 2 (RPG, THQ, Volitron, 2002, 8.4)
30. Ys VI - Ark of Napishtim (RPG, Konami, Falcon, 2005, 7.8)

Sub Total 29 PS2 Games

Xbox

1. Doom 3 (FPS, Activision, iD Software, 2005, 9.3)
2. Deus Ex 2 - The Invisible War (FPS, S, Eidos Interactive, Ion Storm, 2003, 9.0)
3. Fable (RPG, Microsoft, Lionhead/Big Blue Box, 2004, 9.3)
4. Full Spectrum Warrior (S, TPS, THQ, Pandemic Studios, 2004, 9.2)
5. Genma Onimusha (F, A, Capcom, Capcom Production Studio 2, 8.3)
6. Legacy of Kain - Defiance (A, Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, Crystal Dynamics, 2004, 8.0)
7. Jade Empire Limited Edition (RPG, Microsoft, Bioware, 2005, 9.9)
8. Jet Set Radio (RA, Microsoft, WoW Entertainment, 2002, ????))
9. Metal Gear Solid 2 - Substance (S, Konami, Konami, 2003, 9.0)
10. Mercenaries (S, Lucas Arts, Pandemic Studios, 2004, 9.1)
11. Panzer Dragoon Orta (S, A, Sega, Smilebit, 2002, 9.2)
12. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (A, PL, Urisoft, Urisoft, 9.6)
13. Prince of Persia - Warrior Within (APL, Urisoft, Urisoft, 2004, 8.7)
14. Silent Hill 2 (SH, A, Konami, Konami, 2001, 8.2)
15. Shenmue 2 (RPG, Sega, AM2, 8.3)
16. Splinter Cell (S, A, Urisoft, Urisoft, 2002, 9.6 )
17. Splinter Cell 3 - Chaos Theory (A, Urisoft, Urisoft, 2005, 9.6)
18. Splinter Cell - Pandora Tomorrow (S, Urisoft, Urisoft, 2004, 9.5)
19. Splinx - The Mummy's Curse (APL, THQ, Eurocom, 2003, 8.5)
20. Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic (RPG, Lucas Arts, Bioware, 2003, 9.5)
21. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (SP, Activision, Neversoft, 2004, 8.9)

Sub Total 21 Xbox Games

PC Games

1. 007: Everything or Nothing (P, FPS, A, S, EA Games, EA games, 2002)
2. Anarchy Online (RPG, Funcom, Funcom, 2001, 9.2)
3. Battlefield 1942 (FPS, A, S, EA Games, Digital Illusions CE, 2002, 9.3)
4. Baldur's Gate (RPG, Interplay, Bioware, 1998, 8.8)
5. Baldur's Gate 2 - Shadows of Amn (RPG, Interplay, Bioware, 2000, 9.4)
6. Dungeon Keeper 2 (P, SIM, Activision, Bullfrog, 1999)
7. Final Fantasy XI (RPG, Square-Enix, Square-Enix, 2003, 8.8)
8. Freelancer (P, RPG, Microsoft, Digital Anvil, 2003, 9.2)
9. Icewind Dale (RPG, Bioware, Black Isles, 2000)
10. Icewind Dale 2 (RPG, Bioware, Black Isles, 2002)
11. Madden 2001 (SP, EA Sports, Tribinon, 2000)
12. Max Payne (P, FPS, S, Rockstar, Rockstar, 2001, 9.4)
13. Need for Speed (P, RA, Electronic Arts, EA, 1996)
14. No One Lives Forever 2 - In H.A.R.M.'s Way (P, FPS, A, S)
15. Oni (P, S, A , Gathering of Developers, Bungie, 2001, 7.5, 1999)
16. Soldier of Fortune Platinum Edition (FPS, A, S, Activision, Raven Software, 2000, 9.0)
17. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords (RPG, Lucas Arts, Obsidian Entertainment, 2005, 8.4)
18. Thief The Dark Project (P, STR, Eidos, Looking Glass, 1998, 8.9)
19. Tiger Woods PGA Golf Tour 2001 (SP, EA Sports, ???, 2000)
20. Undying (FPS, A, EA Games, ????, 2000 )
21. Unreal Gold Edition (FPS, Infogrames, Digital Extremes, 1998, 9.0)
22. Warcraft 2 Battle Set Special Edition (STR, Blizzard, Blizzard, 1999)
23. World of Warcraft (RPG, Blizzard, Blizzard, 2004, 9.5)

Sub Total 23 PC Games.

TOTAL Not played 114 Games!
Not played percentage 25.5% <-- BETTER START PLAYING GAMES!

Exciting news! The broadband guys are coming out here either this week or the following week to install a data uplink for 1 Megabit. My father might get 1.5 Megabit free of charge for the rest of July from complimentary of Wild Blue. There is plenty I can download in 10 days before the free service ends.

I’ll be man of the house July 16th thru 23rd. My parents are going on a well deserved cruise in Alaska weeks before permafrost hardens. My present for being alone could be broadband…maybe cause nothing is set in stone. I get to be the first to tell how bad PC gaming latency is for dual channel satellites! I shall download the latest version of Linux onto my HDD once connected. Plus, I shall download a few streams; talk to a few people via Skype, but I’ll promise this won’t affect webpage download time for dial up users.

I have to talk to a DVR consoler about a future computer (AKA networking) job on Friday. He’ll ask what my life is like at home. Problem is I’m the laziest person on the Earth, and that’s a horrible answer to tell him so today I was pondering for a reasonable answer which would succeed in getting me employed. No one in the right mind would want to stay unemployed for over a year. My strategy is to stay quiet about my Internet addiction or videogames the whole time. Scary are these job interviews. I could tell this man I am setting in front of a TV playing a new videogame every single week never satisfied with my videogame collection or blogging bringing up my point Why bother? I certainly wouldn’t be as lazy if working with networks five days a week.


Looked like this shaved.

Yesterday at 0200 hours I’ve had decided to play open Silpheed - The Lost Planet for the first time and beat it. Satisfying for about 2 hours than Game Over. Without cheating I had a 1% chance of beating Silpheed. It’s THAT hard. I had to add some games that reminded me of a 1990s when games were played more than once. It’s one of the worst button mashing on the dual shock you’ll come across ….pressing X button a lot shoots bullets from either side of the Silpheed fighter in the 27th century Solar Planetary System. High resolution graphics for 2D shooters aren’t common. Once Silpheed is beaten a farewell message stating starting war amongst your own species is meaningless. Earth is extremely fragile in our galaxy and humanity has a choice of existing peacefully after the hero (me) single handedly destroyed an organic treat from another galaxy almost ending all life on Earth!

Right now the next game I’ll play shall be R-Type Final, Suikoden IV or Atelier Iris Eternal Mana. Atelier Iris is my 6th Japanese import. Stella Deus wasn’t so bad. Maybe this was since I didn’t expect Stella Deus to rewrite how strategy RPGs were made therefore couldn’t possibly be worse and worth a look. All these imported RPGs have English subtitles and voiceovers. Atelier Iris is ranked 6th most popular game at gamerankings.com BTW.

New Games to add to list

• Metropolis Street Racer (©2000 Bizarre Creations)
• Mortal Kombat Deception (©2005 Midway)

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Firefox getting slower?

On July 3rd, I drove to Shop Ko and bought Kirby Canvas Curse. I’ve had tried Kirby out and Canvas Curse uses the stylist for a point and touch action game. By touching Kirby with the stylist he’ll do a spin attack (like Sonic the Hedgehog). Canvas Curse is single most popular Dual Screen game at Gamerankings. Touch an enemy make him/her dizzy. The music sounds very cute by comparison with Wipeout Pure or Ridge Racer. Kirby Canvas Curse is the highest rated Dual Screen game out so it shall be popular within a few weeks.

Yesterday, I was watching Alien (©1979 Fox) on VHS during the Windows NTFS formatting and installation. The computer aspect of the movie aged nicely. That’s also the problem. It feels like the future with a 80s computer twist which the special effects team borrowed from 2001: A Space Odyssey including HAL super computer thing, some of the narrow passages, and that capsule where astronauts sleep in.

Afterwards, according to the Processes tab in Task Manager, Mozilla Firefox 1.0.5 uses twice as much memory as Mozilla Firefox 1.0.4! You’ll have better luck waiting for Firefox 1.0.6 when available. It was mentioned on the changes thread that 1.0.5 was slower loading. It’s true. I may have to re-install the Guild Wars I’ve once had thought was my favorite game.

Bob couldn’t make it over Tuesday and I’m sad. Sad that we only talked about Blu-ray over MSN messenger and how a burner cost you $1000! BD-RAM concept is obsolete. DVD-RAM was the last of the RAM cartridges.

I’ve seen “The Thing from Another World” on Turner Movie Classics for the first time. It stars James Arness (very tall guy in Gunsmoke who plays Marshal Matt Dilon.) who plays the monster which looks a lot like the Creature from the Lost Lagoon. The Thing from Another World was above average for 1950 era sci-fi films. Gotta mention its good plot…..which is…well…good. James also starred in four Gunsmoke movies from 1987 to 1992. Gunsmoke – Return to Dodge (1987) had the original Gunsmoke cast members. No matter, I’m not into westerns lately.

I was watching the Minnesota Twins beat the Angels. Twins own the youngest talent in the pro baseball which isn’t as talented as half the teams in MLB, but manage to win due to teamwork and good minor league players. Milwaukee Brewers have a bigger salary than the Twins. The Twins have a $40,000,000 salary cap compared to the White Soxs’ $85,000,000 salary cap. The Twins haven’t had a power hitter since Kent Herbeck in ‘87. Kirby Puckett (1984 – ‘94) was a line backer who made it to the Hall of Fame. He’s most famous for hitting a grand slam in the 11th inning that won the ’91 World Series. Twins won dependant every year since 2001 except this season when the White Soxs are ‘white hot’ having one of the best starts in baseball history stealing the central title from the Twins who are 8 games behind.

Conker Live and Reloaded is Conker’s Bad Fur Day in discuses and Rareware’s biggest title since Star Fox Adventures. I haven’t played Conker’s Bad Fur Day for N64 yet .I’ve heard it was very funny. The UK developer released Grabbed by the Ghoulies on Xbox since Rare joined Microsoft Gaming Studios. CL&R could well be mistaken for an Xbox 360 title because it’s graphics were a 10/10. I’ll sleep on what videogame to purchase next.

On a lighter note, I’ve beaten R-Type Final already and plays exactly like Gradius V. Short, but amongst the best looking 2D side scrolling shooters. There are only 6 levels, but makes up in length. The boss was hard since I wasn’t able to find the weakness unlike the other bosses. R-Type is normally above my skill level so I activated the infinite lives code. There is no pride playing with infinity health. R-Type Final is advancer than most old school side scrolling shooters, because it’s new which is more than I can say for the genre at large. Iren never creates anything else other than R-Type. Can’t say I love nor hate it.

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