I know this is supposed to be a gaming blog, but I'm a tech junkie too. Read on.
Wow, so Microsoft has announced Surface. All I can say is WOW! Now, this is 2 minutes after watching the video, so excuse me if I'm a little excited.
Watch the videos on the site before you go on.
Here's what I caught from the videos.
-You can place your cell phone or camera on the table and it rips pictures from it. You can also drag them to other devices.
-Same thing goes with an MP3 player and cell phone, except you drag your music.
-You can view videos and photos that are saved onto the computer.
-You can make it act as a GPS, and then transfer the directions to your phone.
-You can place your credit card on it and pay for your meal if the restaurant has it. I'm sure you will be able to place orders online like this as well.
-You can paint on it. Cool.
-It reads... drinks? Whatever. I'm sure it will be "cool."
-You can send your pics and such through e-mails.
That's all I can remember. I could have missed something. That's why you have to watch these amazing videos. I'm stoked.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
So the Halo 3 Beta is out...
...and frankly, I'm just no impressed. To be called "the best game of all time" by the many fanboys that are soon to come is a drastic overstatement. Not to say that Halo 3 is a bad game. It's anything but. However, it's not that big of an update on Halo 2. Now, those of you that know me understand that I loathe Halo 2. Passionately. You also understand that I think Halo: Combat Evolved stands as (arguably) the greatest console FPS of all time. Yes Mr. Bond, I said it. It's just not the huge leap forward Bungie had promised. The Spartan laser is freaking awesome to say the least. It's my torque bow in Halo. The equipment is pretty cool, but it's really not used that frequently. Even when it is, it just doesn't make a huge difference. The graphics look pretty good. Not next-gen good, but good nonetheless. But hey, it's still a beta. Also, people have been telling me that it's like Halo 1 and not Halo 2. So let's compare.
How it's like Halo 1:
1: No hit boxes. Praise the Lord. You actually have to shoot someone in the HEAD for them to die.
2: The rocket doesn't home in on vehicles! YES!
3: That's it. Seriously.
How it's like Halo 2:
1: That awful plasma pistol still takes away your entire overshield. This makes the new gametype VIP completely awful. at least it doesn't home as much now though.
2: Grenades suck. Terribly. If you throw them BELOW someones feet, they don't die. No joke.
3: No health, all shield. Not a big deal, really.
4: You lunge when you melee. Gay.
5: It's insane easy to stick someone with a grenade.
6: The camo is useless. You can still be seen a mile away. I don't want to look like a shadow, i want to be temporarily INVISIBLE. Since you know, that's what it is SUPPOSED to do.
7: The vehicles are gods...
That's all for now. But seriously, remake Halo 1, change nothing, even the graphics, and put it online. People will buy it. People will play it. People will love it. That isn't going to happen though, which means I'm still stuck with Lan parties. Oh well, I prefer my standard Xbox controller. It's more sensitive. Plus I rock at Gears. Nothing wrong with getting better.
Starcraft 2 is coming out soon. I've never really played the first one. I LOVED Red Alert 2 though. Oh, and make sure to click those two links. They're great.
Shadowrun comes out Tuesday. I am STOKED. For the people still on the fence, I BEG you to download the demo on June 6. I played the beta at my friend Cadillace's house. Download the demo if you don't buy it. Please.
My 360voice blog keeps telling me that I'm playing Crackdown. It lies. I just use it for the Halo 3 Beta.
That's it for now. Oh, and for the final say: If you like Halo 2, you'll LOVE Halo 3. If you preferred the first one, prepare to be disappointed.
I know I'll probably get heat for this, but what can I say. I'm an honest person.
How it's like Halo 1:
1: No hit boxes. Praise the Lord. You actually have to shoot someone in the HEAD for them to die.
2: The rocket doesn't home in on vehicles! YES!
3: That's it. Seriously.
How it's like Halo 2:
1: That awful plasma pistol still takes away your entire overshield. This makes the new gametype VIP completely awful. at least it doesn't home as much now though.
2: Grenades suck. Terribly. If you throw them BELOW someones feet, they don't die. No joke.
3: No health, all shield. Not a big deal, really.
4: You lunge when you melee. Gay.
5: It's insane easy to stick someone with a grenade.
6: The camo is useless. You can still be seen a mile away. I don't want to look like a shadow, i want to be temporarily INVISIBLE. Since you know, that's what it is SUPPOSED to do.
7: The vehicles are gods...
That's all for now. But seriously, remake Halo 1, change nothing, even the graphics, and put it online. People will buy it. People will play it. People will love it. That isn't going to happen though, which means I'm still stuck with Lan parties. Oh well, I prefer my standard Xbox controller. It's more sensitive. Plus I rock at Gears. Nothing wrong with getting better.
Starcraft 2 is coming out soon. I've never really played the first one. I LOVED Red Alert 2 though. Oh, and make sure to click those two links. They're great.
Shadowrun comes out Tuesday. I am STOKED. For the people still on the fence, I BEG you to download the demo on June 6. I played the beta at my friend Cadillace's house. Download the demo if you don't buy it. Please.
My 360voice blog keeps telling me that I'm playing Crackdown. It lies. I just use it for the Halo 3 Beta.
That's it for now. Oh, and for the final say: If you like Halo 2, you'll LOVE Halo 3. If you preferred the first one, prepare to be disappointed.
I know I'll probably get heat for this, but what can I say. I'm an honest person.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
My thoughts on "Hidden Fronts."
Just a quick rundown on the new Gears maps.
Bullet Marsh -
First of all, there's TWO STORIES on this map. A first for Gears (don't start with me. You'll see what I mean when you play it). When you spawn, you have the option of two paths. The one leading uphill teaks you straight to a sniper rifle (one on both sides). You can then turn a corner and head to a shelter that has frag grenades, smoke grenades (don't ask, because I don't know), and a boomshot. Or you can take the straight path and go to the TORQUE BOW. Yes, with emphasis. I love this weapon. There's also a generator where you can turn off the lights over where the snipers spawn. Yes, you guessed it, Kryll come down from the sky and attack. If you're in the darkness long enough, they'll down you (yes, just down you). Overall, it's an awesome map that makes you think, unlike some of the "run and gun" maps. It also brings something new to the table, which is always welcomed.
Stinger's rating: 8/10
Subway -
While a fun map, this one definitely isn't the best for ranked play. The bottom side feels so overpowered, much like Escalation. There's two spawn points, dowstairs and upstairs. Downstairs is the inside of a subway station, with quite a few trains you can get inside and barricade yourself in. not to mention that there is a torque bow inside one of the trains. There's also a boomshot and a set of frags downstairs. Upstairs (outside in the rain) is a set of frags (WAY out of the way) and a sniper with an AWESOME sniping point. However, there's so many things to hide behind downstairs it's not a huge advantage. There's two sets of stairs too, which is great, since they aren't that close together. I'll definitely be setting this one in my player match cycle, but you won't catch me in very many ranked games in this map.
Stinger's rating: 6/10
Garden -
My least favorite of the four maps. It has a very Mausoleum feel to it. Anyway, Garden has a hammer of dawn, boomshot, and two snipers. However, to get to the two snipers (which are in small green rooms) you have to hit three button (which are right beside each other) to cut off the TOXIC FUMES that are in the room. I don't know WHY there are THREE buttons, but whatever. It just wastes time. I'd much rather turn the toxic fumes on to kill people. Instead, they just turn back on automatically after 15 seconds or so. The hammer of dawn and boomshot are relatively close to one another, both in the center of the map. However, my biggest complaint about this map is that there are SO many places to hide. Not to take cover on, but to HIDE. I can see myself searching for some dumb, talentless jerk who's hiding somewhere in the map because there's two people left on my team and he's the only one left on his. That's pretty much the only reason Fuel Depot gets on my nerves. But what can I say, at least it isn't Raven Down.
Stinger's rating: 5/10
Process -
The new hotness! This is a great, great map. It's the smallest of the four, and has a TON of power weapons, but believe me, it balances out. You spawn on opposite sides of the map (such as Canals or War Machine). Let's say you spawn on the COG side. On your left is a torque bow, while a sniper is on your right and a boomshot is in the middle (roughly). There's two sets of frags on the sniper side (one for locust, one for COG) that aren't terribly out of the way. The coolest thing is the boomshot/torque interaction though. To pick up the boom you have to go up a few steps. In between the boom and torque there's a fence. You can't boom the torque, but the torque can shoot through the fence. Now, before you say how unbalanced that is, listen up. If you run straight there, you will get to the boom about 5 full seconds before someone reaches the torque, giving you plenty of time to jump down the steps. Plus the fact that the torque has to charge before it can stick you, it balanced out the map very well. There's PLENTY of things to take cover on, but pretty much NOWHERE to hide. I don't know how well the sniper will be utilized in such a tight space though. I guess I'll figure it out when I play with Reg. This may be my new Canals (which is my current favorite level). Overall, this map is near perfect.
Stinger's rating: 9/10
So there you go. Unless you're trying to "boycott" Microsoft by waiting to get them for free, these maps are ABSOLUTELY worth the 800 points. I've boycotted a lot of downloads (themes, picture packs, Guitar Hero songs) but I finally bit the bullet. Don't let Microsoft ruin your fun. Buy these maps and play with your friends right now. They're worth it.
Bullet Marsh -
First of all, there's TWO STORIES on this map. A first for Gears (don't start with me. You'll see what I mean when you play it). When you spawn, you have the option of two paths. The one leading uphill teaks you straight to a sniper rifle (one on both sides). You can then turn a corner and head to a shelter that has frag grenades, smoke grenades (don't ask, because I don't know), and a boomshot. Or you can take the straight path and go to the TORQUE BOW. Yes, with emphasis. I love this weapon. There's also a generator where you can turn off the lights over where the snipers spawn. Yes, you guessed it, Kryll come down from the sky and attack. If you're in the darkness long enough, they'll down you (yes, just down you). Overall, it's an awesome map that makes you think, unlike some of the "run and gun" maps. It also brings something new to the table, which is always welcomed.
Stinger's rating: 8/10
Subway -
While a fun map, this one definitely isn't the best for ranked play. The bottom side feels so overpowered, much like Escalation. There's two spawn points, dowstairs and upstairs. Downstairs is the inside of a subway station, with quite a few trains you can get inside and barricade yourself in. not to mention that there is a torque bow inside one of the trains. There's also a boomshot and a set of frags downstairs. Upstairs (outside in the rain) is a set of frags (WAY out of the way) and a sniper with an AWESOME sniping point. However, there's so many things to hide behind downstairs it's not a huge advantage. There's two sets of stairs too, which is great, since they aren't that close together. I'll definitely be setting this one in my player match cycle, but you won't catch me in very many ranked games in this map.
Stinger's rating: 6/10
Garden -
My least favorite of the four maps. It has a very Mausoleum feel to it. Anyway, Garden has a hammer of dawn, boomshot, and two snipers. However, to get to the two snipers (which are in small green rooms) you have to hit three button (which are right beside each other) to cut off the TOXIC FUMES that are in the room. I don't know WHY there are THREE buttons, but whatever. It just wastes time. I'd much rather turn the toxic fumes on to kill people. Instead, they just turn back on automatically after 15 seconds or so. The hammer of dawn and boomshot are relatively close to one another, both in the center of the map. However, my biggest complaint about this map is that there are SO many places to hide. Not to take cover on, but to HIDE. I can see myself searching for some dumb, talentless jerk who's hiding somewhere in the map because there's two people left on my team and he's the only one left on his. That's pretty much the only reason Fuel Depot gets on my nerves. But what can I say, at least it isn't Raven Down.
Stinger's rating: 5/10
Process -
The new hotness! This is a great, great map. It's the smallest of the four, and has a TON of power weapons, but believe me, it balances out. You spawn on opposite sides of the map (such as Canals or War Machine). Let's say you spawn on the COG side. On your left is a torque bow, while a sniper is on your right and a boomshot is in the middle (roughly). There's two sets of frags on the sniper side (one for locust, one for COG) that aren't terribly out of the way. The coolest thing is the boomshot/torque interaction though. To pick up the boom you have to go up a few steps. In between the boom and torque there's a fence. You can't boom the torque, but the torque can shoot through the fence. Now, before you say how unbalanced that is, listen up. If you run straight there, you will get to the boom about 5 full seconds before someone reaches the torque, giving you plenty of time to jump down the steps. Plus the fact that the torque has to charge before it can stick you, it balanced out the map very well. There's PLENTY of things to take cover on, but pretty much NOWHERE to hide. I don't know how well the sniper will be utilized in such a tight space though. I guess I'll figure it out when I play with Reg. This may be my new Canals (which is my current favorite level). Overall, this map is near perfect.
Stinger's rating: 9/10
So there you go. Unless you're trying to "boycott" Microsoft by waiting to get them for free, these maps are ABSOLUTELY worth the 800 points. I've boycotted a lot of downloads (themes, picture packs, Guitar Hero songs) but I finally bit the bullet. Don't let Microsoft ruin your fun. Buy these maps and play with your friends right now. They're worth it.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
New Gears Maps and the HD-DVD code.
So Major Nelson announced that the new Gears of War maps will be coming out this Thursday at 4am EST. Pictures here. A direct quote from the Major: "You can grab the pack this Thursday for 800 points or wait until Sept. 3, 2007 when all four maps will be available for free."
I posted earlier about how Epic wanted to give the games away for free but wasn't allowed to, so they came to this compromise. Am I happy about it? No. Why not? Because either way, I STILL have to pay 800 points for these maps. And no, I'm not just speaking about myself. Most gears players will go out and buy the new maps, at almost any price, even if they can get the maps for free only a matter of weeks later, not four months. And with people having the OPTION to buy them, imagine the player matches that your friends will be booted out of because THEY don't have the maps. It's ridiculous. But whatever. Microsoft is (apparently) not rich enough.
In other news, 09 f9 11 02 9d 74 e3 5b d8 41 56 c5 63 56 88 c0.
That's the now infamous "HD-DVD code." Pirate Bay and Destructoid both changed their homepages to show it, and at one point Digg's ENTIRE FRONT PAGE had nothing but stories of the code.
But I'm not telling you what the code is. Go look it up for yourself.
I only need about 700 more kills until I get my seriously achievement. I can't wait.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll tell you guys my thoughts on the new Gears maps in the coming days. Hopefully they'll be good thoughts.
I posted earlier about how Epic wanted to give the games away for free but wasn't allowed to, so they came to this compromise. Am I happy about it? No. Why not? Because either way, I STILL have to pay 800 points for these maps. And no, I'm not just speaking about myself. Most gears players will go out and buy the new maps, at almost any price, even if they can get the maps for free only a matter of weeks later, not four months. And with people having the OPTION to buy them, imagine the player matches that your friends will be booted out of because THEY don't have the maps. It's ridiculous. But whatever. Microsoft is (apparently) not rich enough.
In other news, 09 f9 11 02 9d 74 e3 5b d8 41 56 c5 63 56 88 c0.
That's the now infamous "HD-DVD code." Pirate Bay and Destructoid both changed their homepages to show it, and at one point Digg's ENTIRE FRONT PAGE had nothing but stories of the code.
But I'm not telling you what the code is. Go look it up for yourself.
I only need about 700 more kills until I get my seriously achievement. I can't wait.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll tell you guys my thoughts on the new Gears maps in the coming days. Hopefully they'll be good thoughts.
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