Holy Mother of Ikea!

Hey readers and listeners, my sincere apologies for letting my updates totally slide. Firstly, I've taken up a part time gig helping a friend finish up some decking and fencing work he has here in the city while I'm gainfully unemployed. This is keeping my days pretty busy but I still am trying to keep up with the blogging and podcasting. Some of you more astute readers might have noticed that the twitter feed is back (the the right hand side). I'm trying to use twitter (and the power of the iPhone) to keep a mini feed updated, both on the blog status and just my life in general. It's working so far so feel free to follow me if you have twitter yourself. I have recorded, for the third time, podcast episode 4. I lost the first one due to computer failure, and the second one had to be redone as more topics came up. So episode 4 is in the can and should be up this weekend. Show notes will go on right after it's been uploaded so look forward to that. On the work front, I've committed to going back to my old company in two weeks time so that may see a bit of a slow time for the blog as well while I'm trying to get back into the groove. Fear not, as twitter is your friend and I'll be certain to update the blog via email as well. What did we ever do before all this interwebs?? Oh that's right, we played chess through the mail. Cheers and see you on the other side of the mic.

Tuesday Update

Yeah, I know. I'm late again. Trust me, it's not all been fun and games this last week. There was a bit of personal stuff I had to deal with right away so the blog has be slightly neglected. But it's sort of back on track now so here's a quick update. I've played through the Too Human demo on XBL this past weekend. Took me about 45 minutes but I was taking my time, customizing my character, etc. I played as a Champion, which likes to fly around the screen and jump a lot. It was pretty fun, I would imagine it as a dumbed down Diablo clone (if that's even possible to dumb D down any further *read: SOJ, Dual Leech). I think I will give the game a chance when it comes out, I won't be putting down $60 for it since it's definitely not worth that but it's worth a few hours of my attention. The other major gaming event in my life is that I've started to dual-box for my World of Warcraft account. If you guys are up with WoW, you will know that the latest Refer a Friend has some pretty sweet incentives but since all my friends already play WoW and those that don't are simply not interested, I decided to refer myself and reap all the benefits. So far, it's been pretty good. I leveled from 1-15 on 2 character in a mere 2.5 hours. That's a personal record considering that's on 2 characters at the same time. I'm excited in seeing if I can bring this dual character up to 60 ASAP (or at least before I'm going back to work). Speaking of work, I'm looking to head back to my old job mid September. Hopefully they will have me, otherwise you will be able to visit the Ikeagamer at your local Wal-Mart soon! Podcast will be up tomorrow, and you can take that one to the bank!

Monday Update

Hello Superfans! This Monday update is going to be short and sweet. I'm going to be covering a lot of topics on this upcoming podcast and its corresponding show notes will have lots of the info I wanted to talk about as well. So for the short and sweet, here it is. I'm still unemployeed. I'm thinking things over still and have almost decided to go back to my old job. There's going to be complications and there's still a chance that when I'm ready to go back, they may not take me. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Currently, I'm trying to catch up on house work, yard work, and of course, games and TV that have been neglected for far too long. I just recently caught up on Burn Notice and that's one awesome show! From someone who still remembers Remington Steele, Magnum P.I., and those other detective shows, this is a major throw back to that era of television. If you haven't seen it, I suggest renting the first season on DVD or buy it if you're employed :) Look for the next podcast to be up by Wednesday night! Cheers and happy gaming!

Episode 3: Unemployment

The Official Ikeagamer Podcast Episode 3 should be up this afternoon on iTunes and on gcast so feel free to stream or download. It's currently being down sampled so may take a little bit of time to show up on the site. Here are the show notes for your reading pleasure while you wait for the show to upload. New website URL: www.ikeagamer.com If you guys found me through blogger, it should now redirect you to the new address. Both will continue to work since I'm still hosting it with blogger (I can't afford my own server :P) iPhone 3G quick impressions: Pros: Cost is low if you sign a contract, function and form meshes very well, well thought out design and interface, official apps support through iTunes, location service integration Cons: Battery life (oh god is it bad!), 3G spotty network reception, apps are only 1/2 ready (more like beta), mobile calendar doesn't allow for invites or acceptance unless with exchange, no cut and paste, no good RSS reader with offline mode Job Update: I started my new job, which was a step up from my last one, 2.5 weeks ago and this past Monday, I find out that I was completely lied to about it and in fact it really wasn't a step up at all. The pay was better but it certainly wasn't worth the sacrifice of giving up my tenure and hard work I put into my career since they really wanted me to take a backseat to someone that wasn't even formally educated or trained. Long story so feel free to listen but to sum it up, I'm unemployed and not sure if I want to go back to my old position or move on to something else. Ethics on the Internet: Denis Dyack did a really awesome lecture on the 1Up Yours July 3, 2008 podcast. I urge you all to give it a download and listen to some of the points this guy brings up. It's certainly brain stimulating that's for sure. He touches on some very real points of how the "net" has the false feeling of anonymity to it, leading its patrons into a series of consequence free actions. Give it a listen and make sure you click the links at the bottom of the page to see some of the books he mentioned. I've already ordered a few of them and am quite excited to start reading (I don't get any sponsorship from Amazon so this is purely my own bias) Listener Mail: New segment I'm creatively calling listener mail! The blog has been up for a few months now and the podcast is into its 3 episode. I'm quite excited that there are actually people that listen to me ramble and visit this blog and on top of that, they write in! Totally geeking out here! So a popular question that I'm asked is: Why is this called Ikeagamer? A few reasons, and first is because I find Ikea furniture and the company to be one that's to the point, trim the fat, right down to the meat and bones. I identify with that philosophy in my gaming life. I don't have a ton of time to play games but I still really like to, so the time that I do have, I spend only on quality products or products that gets me into the "relaxed" mode quickest. So, in a nutshell, that's the Ikeagamer philosophy. Why do you do a gaming blog when you don't even play much games? This is sort of a loaded question. But if you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I don't devote a lot of time to gaming but it doesn't mean that I don't keep up with the news and updates in the industry. It's still something that highly interests me and gets me excited. I do have lots of opinions about the issue and Ikeagamer isn't just about gaming either. This blog is basically about anything that pops into my life/head so all is fair game! Enjoy Episode 3, look for a new cast next week or the following one.

Monday Update

I'm going to start a new regular segment on the blog with this post and that's going to be a weekly Monday Update. Since the podcast is somewhat irregular (hold the bran jokes!) the Monday Updates will keep the blog full of fibre goodness! Since my last update, I have gone through another set of electronic-geektoys. I was so enamored by the stupid iPod Touch, I went and upgraded to an iPhone 3G. I'll speak more about it during the podcast this week (look for it tomorrow) but so far, I'm loving it. I had real reservations with it since I've been using a blackberry since University and that is something that's a tough habit to break. But so far, I've gotten really used to the keyboard and hooked up exchange without much problems. A few glaring features that I hope Apple will patch in the near future is cut and paste (WTH, you think this would be standard in a smart phone, I don't know why they would leave it out) and the ability to send invites from your iPhone's calendar. Aside from that, battery life could be better but that's to be expected from a 3G device that isn't the size of a brick. Also having better receiption while in 3G would be appreciated (but that's more Roger's problem than Apple's). I find that I'm keeping the phone in EDGE mode more than 3G just because of the lack of quality receiption in 3G. My calls actually dropped a few times while my EDGE connection was 100%. I ended up selling my Blackberry Pearl for about the same price it cost me to upgrade so no harm there. I did have to switch my number but that's been painless thus far. On the gaming end, I'm now level 31 in World of Warcraft. Ok, that's piddly but that's also a 10 level jump from just a few months ago. Considering how little I actually play, I have to say I'm happy with my progress. Job is a bit weird at the moment but listen to the podcast and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about. As for the blog, you may have noticed that it's now located at www.ikeagamer.com. The name is sticking and I'm actually getting quite a few readers currently. This is exciting since it's really the only public blog I've ever run so hopefully it will continue to grow. Look for a new format with the podcast as well since there's more content that's being added to it. That's it for now. Thanks for reading and remember to send your questions and comments to the address to the top right of this page! Cheers!

Touched by Steve

Whao! Hey! Watch it! Yeah, touched by Steve is right...Steve Jobs that is. What the hell is up with this guy that anything coming out of his mouth is gold? As reported today by DailyTech, Apple issued a press release detailing its financial forecast, stating once again it has finished above expectations and that the next quarter may not be as great as it had been historically. However, with a single tag line at the end of the release where Steve Jobs says, "...and we’re busy finishing several more wonderful new products to launch in the coming months." sent Apple stocks rising again. So what is it about Steve that makes the industry swoon and the financial analysts quiver in their suits? Brand recognition is largely it, and with Steve Jobs heading up Apple in the late 90's to now, their rebranding and reimagining has been a huge success. Look at the recent iPhone 3G release, that was like the release of a Blackberry Pearl 8120 after a year and a half of having the Blackberry Pearl 8100. Or it really should have been and not what everyone blasphamistically referring to it as the Jesus Phone (that's seriously a good one, but what are you going to call the 4G?) Dispite what all the iPod and Apple haters want to say or how much they fight against the norm and accepted social staus quo that is defined by the latest iPod or iPhone, they won't be able to win. History has taught us that there will always be the hottest new thing that defines a generation. This current trend just happens to have lasted a bit longer than expected. Whether or not Apple will survive to be the leader of the next trend depends on how much more innovative they can be. Look at Motorola, they were the first on the market with a widely accepted and popular design for the clam-shell phone we know today. But where are they now? They haven't been able to make too much headway since and have slowly been losing their sales over to others that have been more innovative. Apple needs to be the Madonna and Cher of consumer electronics if they want to stay on top (or keep in the top tier). Why post about Apple again? Well I was able to get my hands on an 8GB iPod Touch at a substantial discount thanks to the mistakes of some drone working at a data entry position at Wal-Mart. If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I don't have a lot of love for the iPod. Simply because of the restrictions Apple places on its use. But I can't say anything bad about its interface. It is still the best, easiest, and cleanest to use for a MP3 player. I will still use my Cowon A3 for videos because I can't be bothered to encode my Divx files for iTunes but in the car and out and about, this new iPod Touch is really something. It's basically a iPhone minus the phone. And with the 2.0 Firmware upgrade (which I didn't pay for and if Apple wants money for this they can shove it) and the new apps store, I could see it replacing my Blackberry one day. I just have to get used to the virtual keyboard, which I slow am. It's still not as great as the blackberry's tactile keyboard but I think it does everything else so well that it doesn't really matter in the long run. The beautiful thing about iPods is also its horrifiic flaw, you simply can't use them longer than 2 years. They either start to fail or functions have changed so much that you want the next best one. That's what Apple designed them to be, and that's what they want you to do. iPods, along with iPhones, are made to be disaposable electronics. Should they be? Environmentally, a resounding no. However all other sectors would call it nothing short of genius. Steve has effectively convinced the world that it needs a new iPod every 1.5 years and that it's totally normal. It's like I'm riding on a rollercoaster to hell and I can't off but oh is it ever fun while it lasts.

The Long Dark Good Knight

66+ Million take in just one day domestic. That's to be expected since The Dark Knight's marketing machine was one of the most well planned in recent movie history. I was lucky enough to actually see it this weekend, although my friend and I had to settle for a 11:45am showing on Sunday morning. I prefer to see movies at night however with a high profile film like this, you won't be having a good time sitting 2 inches from your neighbor the whole time. So what I'll write about The Dark Knight is some impressions and general observations on the film. This won't be a full review since this film is so deep and requires a second viewing before I can fully absorb it. But the bottom line, and I'll give it to you now, is that it is a great Batman story. This is truly dark, gloomy, hope in a desolate place, come to life on the big screen. So if you are remotely interested in the Character of Batman (not just his gadgets and cars) or if you are curious about psychological dramas, this is your film. The premise of the film takes place shortly after the first one. The origins of Batman has been established, the character of Bruce Wayne has been explored, and now, the writer and director are looking at how the bridge from Bruce Wayne to Batman is constructed. We know that the Batman from the first film was a little green, not so sure of himself, and was just lacking that something dark we have all been used to. He was spot on for Batman Begins and he was also great for audiences, but he wasn't quite there yet. I believe the director did this intentionally, not because of the hopes of a sequel but because it was necessary for that type of a Batman to be portrayed in a movie titled "Batman Begins". In The Dark Knight, we see with all the heartbreak, sorrow, and hope in how Bruce Wayne fully accepts his chosen path and all the repercussions that comes with it. The hard choices he has to make, the total abandonment of his life for the sole pursuit of justice, this is what it is to be Batman. Producer Bruce Timm of the animated series of Batman and the Justice League understood this and really tried to convey that message in his animated Batman, and in Batman Beyond. Christopher Nolan did a fantastic job and making the audience sympathize with the heartbreak of Bruce Wayne and what it takes to be Batman in a modern day world. This movie is not Iron Man. You don't feel good walking out of it. You don't look to the sky and pretend you can fly. The Dark Knight is the necessary evil and leaves you feeling unsure of society and the choices of mankind. However, this is simply the best representation of a tortured hero that I have ever seen on screen. This isn't teen angst or whining of a superhero with great responsibility. This is a grown man, that chose to not turn a blind eye, motivated by revenge, but realizes that he must become more than a man in order to save the people he values. If you have reservations about movies that makes you think, you should still see this as there's enough explosions and violence to satisfy your testosterone filled man-brain. But if you want to think, be challenged, and be thoughtful about a movie that isn't made by Disney, then go see this. You will not be disappointed.

And Here We Go Again

A new job has started for me. This is the second day and it's going pretty well so far. There are some surprises but mostly what I was expecting. The biggest change for me has to be the drive into work. As discussed earlier and during the first episode of the podcast, I am driving 40 KM each way. It's a lot to drive but I'm grateful that the car isn't a piece of junk. It's a bit early to tell if I am going to love it here or how long this time will be but I am truly hoping that it will be a while. I'm tired of moving around so much! As for any real updates, E3 is in full swing, and this year looks to be a better organized event than last. Microsoft has come and delivered their press conference with some mixed results. The new dashboard is interesting but my stake in that is really limited to whether it will brick my modded machine (/evil). The additions of 360 avatars is pretty stupid, but if they can make it into a social network similar to Facebook for the 360 then that would be something unique. And the availability of Netflix on the 360 is huge for XBL. I haven't watched the whole conference yet but if this service is available to Canada, I may just end up joining Netflix! At the basic subscription, it's cheaper than getting movie channels for your TV. More to come and look for a new episode of the podcast this weekend (Sunday/Monday) where I'll recap some of the E3 announcements and share my thoughts and opinion on the more important ones. Cheers!

Episode 2: Live from Apple!

Episode 2 is live and up.  Go ahead and download from the right or through iTunes.

iPhone Announced in Canada:

Apple announced that the 3G iPhone will be launched here in Canada on July 11th exclusively to the Rogers network.  Pricing is still TBA but sources have said that the basic prices are going to start at $30 for data + Voice plan and then it will just go up from there.

New Job and the likes:

So I'm starting my new job next Monday, this gives me still 6 days to try and go as high as possible on World of Warcraft.  I'm hoping that this new job will give me some more free time in doing the things that I like.

How to build a Hackintosh:

Here are some links to useful guides on how to build your own OSX86 machine:

Newbie FAQ

Perfect MAC Mini Build for less than $250

Install Guide on Asus Motherboards (and compatible ones)

Install Guide on a full featured Gigabyte board

Best Dual Boot guide (Mac OSX86 cannot boot camp so this is the only way)

This is my parts list for the Mac Pro I built and you can find all these parts one www.ncix.com

 (good for both US and Canadian customers):

• Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 Dual Core Processor LGA775 1.8GHZ 800FSB 1MB Retail ($70)
• Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2C mATX LGA775 954GC 1PCI-E16 3PCI SATA2 Video Sound LAN Motherboard ($55)
• Buffalo Select D2U800C-2G/BR 2GB 1X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL5 240PIN DIMM Memory ($50)
• Pioneer DVR-215DBK DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 10X SATA Black OEM DVD Writer No S/W ($23)
• Antec NSK3480 New Solution mATX Mid Tower Case 2X5.25 1X3.5 380W Black Front USB Sound & Firewire ($90)
• Segate 7200.10 320GB SATA2 HDD ($55)
• Total Cost: $343 + Tax

That's compared to over $2000 for a legit Mac Pro.  Granted if you have lots of your own parts, you can usually get an old PC to work well as an OSX86 machine.  Surf the www.insanelymac.com forums and you will find all the help you need.  That Atom machine that I linked to above is perfect for a kitchen PC or a Mac Mini replacement.  

Again, please subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or through the GCast module to your right.  Thanks for listening!

Hacked!

I wasn't hacked. But I did end up building a Hackintosh - a PC running OS X. I won't go into too much detail now as I will be discussing the process and impressions during the next podcast (which will be up this weekend). So check those show notes for links to some excellent tutorials on how to do this yourself. So far, I'm enjoying the Mac OS X. It's simple and to the point for almost everything you want to do. However it's not as flexible as Windows but it's also much more stable. The most noticable thing about it is that it shuts down and boots really fast on my Thinkpad (ironic isn't it, IBM Thinkpad running Mac OSX!) That's it for now, remember to check back this weekend for The Ikea Gamer podcast episode 2. Cheers!

Pirates...ARRRRGGGGRRRRR!

PC Gaming is dying.

 

The latest NPD data according to Tom’s Games is saying otherwise because NPD has updated their results with the MMO sector’s monthly subscription sales.  I believe that there are absolutely still games that are meant to be played on a PC.  Shooters, and RTSes are some of them.  Then there’s the elephant in the room, MMO gaming.

 

When you hear about MMO, and if you know what that stands for, you immediately think World of Warcraft.  I remember in University X years ago, my group and I did a presentation on Information Technology and used Everquest 1 as an example of what social interactions were becoming.  Who would have thought that there could ever be a network of over 10 million subscribers worldwide in a game! 

 

Then if you read any of the interviews with the big wigs of publishers and developers of PC games, piracy is the reason you will get for declining sales.  While this is true to some extent and I believe that the majority of PC Gamers are quite capable these days of using BT and cracks.  But what if we took the model of a MMO and combined that with regular games?  Sure there are MMO “private” servers but if you ask WoW players, there aren’t many that would like to play with people that can use hacks and dupes in a game like WoW, which is what private servers are like.  Alternatively, look at the model that Microsoft has followed with their XBL service, and as I have previously touched on, their Gamerscore/tag system.  In general, this is really just an e-penis enlarger for the masses of gamers that care about bragging rights (me temporarily included!)  So here’s the bright idea, create a gaming model where you are required to stay connected to the publishers servers (and this isn’t like the dialling home crap that was tried in Mass Effect) just like an MMO would and you are then able to run assets off of the developer’s servers. 

 

If this were to be implemented in a game like Starcraft 2 for example, you would install the client on your PC, log into battle.net every time you start the game.  While you are still playing in single player mode (much like Age of Conan’s first 20 levels), you are given the options of seeing a world map that shows rankings, hot spots, progress, achievements, and perhaps even an online store front that could facilitate in downloads of upgrades and other micro-transactional items. 

 

And here’s how to make it successful, it’s all in the marketing.

 

If you bill this as a security feature, such as what happened with Mass Effect, it will fail and cause huge rebellion and public outcry.  While if you spin this as an added bonus, free of charge (hint Microsoft!), that enhances the player’s enjoyment of the game, then it will be hailed as ground breaking and revolutionary.  While all of this is great and good, and there will still be those that create private servers and hacks, but if the service you provide on the front end is indeed value added, then I believe consumers will choose to actually use that service instead of circumventing it. 

 

This is all in my head of course, but I think there’s some merit to this idea.  Battle.net is used as a match making service, but what if Blizzard expands that to something like what Steam has.  Costs of maintaining the servers and bandwidth shouldn’t be any more than the license for Securom or other “innovative” security services.  Maybe the PC Gaming Alliance could even come together to form a standard platform where you can see a PC Gamer Score similar to what XBL has but spans across developers and publishers.  Sure the PC is not a standardized platform, but it’s still a common platform, it’s just open source.  I honestly believe that with some thought and analysis, this could work.

 

I for one will support it.  Even though I am familiar with piracy, I still pay monthly for my WoW subscription when I can play for free on a private server, but I choose not to as the value of being connected to Blizzard’s servers is just that much better than playing for free.  You are going to get the poor/young students/kids still trying to pirate your games, but they wouldn’t have bought your game to begin with anyway.  It’s the people that CAN buy your games who you want the money from.  That’s where the real purchasing power is at folks.

Ikeagamer: Episode 1 The Phantom Business

Ok, podcast episode 1 is live. You can subscribe to it over on the right or you can play it in the embedded player. iTunes will have this podcast up in the next few days. As promised, here is the link to that Mazda 3 crash test in which it received a 4 star rating. MGS4 bundle with the 80GB PS3 will be unboxed this week and I'll post up some impressions of MGS4 as well. I'm going to try and play through MGS2 before jumping to 4 and probably will be skipping 3 all together. As for what the BWM 128i is, you can visit the official BMW site to take a look and I'll post some pictures of the new car this week as well. Thanks everyone for visiting and if you have any suggestions for the podcast, please email to:

Late to the party

Alright, it’s been about a week since the podcast announcement but trust me, it’s still coming!  I’m trying to establish a good flow and structure for this first podcast so bear with me.  I have recorded 3 different versions and am just in the middle of editing them now.  The first one should be posted this Sunday.

 

On a side note, I just picked up my 80GB PS3 MGS bundle.  I already have a 60GB but I thought the price on this was too good to pass up and that it was a 80GB, the last remnant of backwards compatibility. 

 

I promise I won’t open it until the podcast is done – you have my word.

Podcasting

Some of you are wondering what that little box to the right of the site is. 

 

I’m planning to begin a bi-monthly podcast series with the first episode to be uploaded this week.  Topics of interest will really be more of what’s covered here on the site but with less ranting and a bit more reviews and discussion of topics currently in the media/news.  Feel free to check back towards the end of the week and look for some new content!

 

This is pretty exciting for me and hopefully someone will also enjoy the discussions as well!

 

Cheers!!

Driving Miss Daisy

I hate stupid drivers.

 

There is stupid as in not following the rules of the road and then there’s stupid where they just don’t understand how to drive defensively. 

 

Recently, actually within the last half hour, I had an online argument with someone on a forum about Chinese drivers.  Readers know I’m Chinese, if not from pictures then you can tell from my “About Me” page.  But this doesn’t mean that I have to love my race and their nuances.  Sure, there are some great things I’m proud of, such as being of a civilization that invented the printing press, compass technology, and paper before even the dark ages in Europe.  But in today’s world, you can’t argue that if you lived in the metro area’s in Canada, you won’t run into the typical “Chinese Driver”.

 

Now, true to my word, I didn’t get into the argument with those posters on the forum, instead, I just edited my post and will rant here where it’s a more appropriate place.  I’m a Chinese driver.  My friends are Chinese drivers.  My family are Chinese drivers.  But for every one good Chinese driver out there, there are two that can’t follow directions or even know the size of their cars.  There are lots of bad drivers in general, just look at those TV shows on Discovery Channel.  But I can only write about what I know and being that my mother is a bad Chinese driver, I can safely say that I have experienced first hand what this is all about. 

 

The reason why they drive in a horrendous manner is that they have:

 

a)       No Shame

b)       No idea that they are actually not a good driver

 

What does it mean to have no shame?  It means that you speak loudly whenever you wish, with no regard for anyone else, and that you heat up your sun dried fermented fish with fish sauce rice in the company microwave for 15 minutes so everyone else’s food tastes like fish.  You don’t see me doing that and why?  Because I have been taught to understand the consequences of my actions.  For some reason, these people have no idea about consequences and assume everyone accepts their behaviour without question.  And you can argue that this is how most people behave in Hong Kong or Mainland China, but that’s not true.  There are lots of people there that do behave reasonably and appropriately.  But there are enough of the shameless for the Chinese government to invest money into public education on proper etiquette before the Beijing Olympics.

 

As for drivers, well not taking the time to learn their vehicles or even bothering to test drive them goes to prove how little they value proper operation procedures.  They just don’t value the lessons involved in learning how to operate a car safely.  I have tried to show and teach my mother many times on how to properly merge or how to gauge the width of her car or how to negotiate a turn on the ramp so you don’t ride into the adjacent lane but she just simply doesn’t care to remember. 

 

Yes, it’s frustrating to see, and yes it’s a big generalization but nonetheless it’s generally true J

Mass DRM Effect

IGN just reported that Bioware will be forcing mandatory re-registration every 5 days (with an extra 5 day grace period) for their upcoming release of Mass Effect on the PC later this month.

 

I’m not a fan of DRM or protection for the sake of protection (read: Bioshock, Battlefield 2142, Sony Rootkits) and if you have been reading in my previous posts, I do mod my consoles.  Does that mean I don’t buy games?  Absolutely not.  I probably spend upwards of $200 a month on games and accessories alone.  That’s probably more than the average gamer would spend in a month, let alone a pirate that downloads their games.  The whole industry and calculations of projected loss is so fragmented and subjective that it borderlines science fiction.  How do you calculate what you “would” have sold had there not been pirated copies?  GTA (sorry to bring that up again) is on its way to selling $400 Million worth of copies in its first week worldwide.  That game has been floating on the net for 2 weeks prior to release for the PAL version and a week for the NTSC version.  Did that hurt sales?  Did the fact that most torrent sites are showing huge amounts of lechers reduce the amount of sales the game had?  I would say that those who choose to download probably wouldn’t have purchased this game to begin with and those that will would buy it after its release. 

 

I was personally going to be purchasing Mass Effect for the PC because of the greater control, better graphics, and better organization than the 360 version but now with the announcement of copy protection, I think I will pass.  I won’t even be buying this at all.  So what if the story is amazing for a video game, I’ll read a book.  Game play can be had on other titles without copy protection (Sins of a Solar Empire for example) and closed platforms like consoles. 

 

For a developer to be asking $60+ per video game is seriously gouging the consumer, and then to penalize those purchasing the item with ridiculous DRM, that’s just a slap in the face.  Thanks EA (because I’m sure Bioware doesn’t make policy now), you just lost $60 BECAUSE of your DRM.

Iron Man was made of Gold!

I saw Iron Man this weekend, along with half the city as evident from the lack of a seat in the theater. I had to drive 45 minutes across the city to find a more secluded theater so my buddies and I could sit in peace.

The theater was filled with kids but the parents were well mannered and taught them to be quiet during a movie. This is encouraging to see since teenagers these days are too into themselves even as compared to when I was one.

As for the movie, it was everything I hoped it was, the only down fall was that there wasn’t enough of the movie! It clocked in at close to 2 hours (I don’t know the exact time, wore out my stop watch timing GTA!) and the cast was excellent. Only problem I had was with Terrence Howard. I have never seen him in a movie before and have not heard him speak either. The first time on screen that he did speak, I almost busted out laughing because I was expecting more Sam Jackson and less Rocky and Bullwinkle. No disrespected meant but it was just surprising. However his acting was top notch and set up some interesting plot lines for the inevitable sequel. If you didn’t stay until the end of the credits, go back and pay your $15 to see it again and stay, well worth it for the comic book geeks.

The CG was very well done, the pacing was spot on. There was enough action there to satisfy the young and old. The director didn’t try to hide many of the “adult” natured themes but did some clever shots to hide the more promiscuous parts. Gwenyth Paltrow was great in her return but I though her character was a little too much a “blond” than first portrayed (which was more of a tougher Pepper Potts). But it worked nonetheless.

A job well done from Marvel Studios and paves the way for a studio controlled set of movies. Both guys and gals should have fun at this. Downey Jr. gives credibility to the role and Paltrow is pleasant on the eyes without sacrificing the acting quotient. I was happy that it didn’t turn out to be a Fantastic Four disaster.

WTF! This is Superman?

I have been watching Smallville since it aired 8 years ago.

Last night was the latest episode and it started out like any other Thursday night. Things were shaping up to be a lame episode. Then it starts into this whole alternate reality bit where you see what Smallville may have looked like if the writers were any bit sensible with comic books or the whole Superman lore.

I used to defend the series from naysayers but at this moment, I can honestly say that I am only watching this series because it’s rumored to end next year and after 8 years, you can’t just walk away because of the investment.

I hate this crap that they call creative writing these days. Don’t even start me on Dan Brown or J.K. Rowling either.

GTA IV: Head to Head to Head Comparison

After searching for days for a reliable head to head comparison between the PS3 and XBOX 360 versions of the game, I came to the realization that no “reliable” journalist was going to point fingers at this game, especially considering the universal 10/10 marks.

There have been reports of texture pop in, frame rate inconsistencies, and longer load times for the XBOX 360 version ever since it was cracked. Most of these reports came from users of the cracked version available on torrent sites and 90% of these reports are found on forum posts so I won’t link them here. But if you read the reviews from Metacritic, especially the ones for the 360 that are scored below 100%, reviewers will mention such issues. One such review by MEGamers, mentions pop in to the point where “the pool table spawned right in front of the character, then the balls and then the texture details.” I can’t contest to the reliability to these sites, what build of the game they actually played for review or their machine specifications. While many reports across the net has stated that both versions of the game plays beautifully and the graphical glitches are few and far between. With that research under my belt, I decided to conduct my own head to head.

Before I begin, I will preface this article with a bit of background information to help you better understand my point of view:

• For the test, I used the following consoles:

o XBOX 360 Arcade Edition (no HDD) modified with latest custom firmware: DVD Drive speed 8X Benq, Falcon

o XBOX 360 unmodified Elite edition with 120GB HDD: DVD Drive speed 12X default Samsung, Falcon

o PS3 60GB Version: Last batch of manufactured 60GB with latest official firmware

• I am a PC gamer first, and I own a high end gaming rig that I built.
• I am used to a 24” monitor’s 1920 X 1200 resolution for gaming and daily work
• I run a 8800GT Overclocked by me, and a Core 2 Duo E6600 OC to 3.4mhz
• I am used to having my games take one hour to install (World of Warcraft anyone?)
• I am accustomed to load times taking between 1-10 seconds max.
• I play these games regularly and so my bias would be towards what I am used to seeing: World of Warcraft (PC), Team Fortress 2 (PC), Mass Effect (360), Rock Band (360), Guitar Hero 3 (360), Hot Shots Golf (PS3), Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Galaxy, God of War 2, Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP).
• I am not a fan-boy/girl as I do own all current gen, last gen, last-last gen, last-last-last gen, and portable systems. I believe that to be a true gamer, you must own all platforms where your creative media is publishes to receive the widest exposure

I have also 4 copies of GTA IV used during this test:

• Grand Theft Auto IV NTSC XBOX360-101 ISO burned at 2.4X with imgburn on Verbatim Made in Singapore DL disk using a Pioneer D212 Drive
• Grand Theft Auto IV NTSC XBOX360-101 ISO burned at 4X with imgburn on Verbatim Made in Singapore DL disk using a Pioneer D212 Drive
• Official Retail NTSC GTA IV PS3 Version
• Official Retail NTSC GTA IV XBOX 360 Version

Some additional background information:

• I have been playing the torrent version for the last week already
• I have spent a minimum of 1 hour with each version of the game
• I have not modified any of the default display settings
• The PS3 is connected via HDMI to DVI into a Sony Grand Wega Rear Projection displaying at 1080i on a 42” screen
• The Elite 360 is connected via component to the same Sony Grand Wega
• The modified 360 is connected via HDMI to a Samsung 37” LCD at 720P

I will begin to list the issues found on each version of the game.

Grand Theft Auto IV NTSC XBOX360-101 ISO burned at 2.4X:

• Load times from the first appearance of the Rockstar logo to the start of the cut scene was 36 seconds
• No pop ins were witnessed during the cut scene
• During initial drive back to your safe house, store fronts would pop in, textures of buildings would pop in and out, some cars were “floating” as the road beneath them did not load
• During cut scene in safe house, Roman’s hand would clip into the table
• Regular game play produced various pop in where whole buildings would not load in time. During a particular chase scene, I ran directly into a building because it didn’t load
• Tree textures would load one filter at a time (think from bare branches to fall colors layer by layer)
• Walking into the cabaret show, the entire room was white except for character model, then railings and structure started to load in wire frame first, then textures, and finally colors
• Cut scene during First Date mission showing the various entertainment locations took between 10-35 seconds each to load

Grand Theft Auto IV NTSC XBOX360-101 ISO burned at 4X (only difference from 2.4X are noted):

• Load times from the first appearance of the Rockstar logo to the start of the cut scene was 37 seconds
• Cut scene during First Date mission show the various entertainment locations was taking between 15-40 seconds to load

Official Retail NTSC GTA IV PS3 Version:

• Load times from first appearance of the Rockstar logo to the beginning of the HDD installation was 4 seconds
• Installation to HDD completed in 7 minutes and 25 seconds
• Colors of the PS3 version compared to the ripped ISO were more natural and less contrasted
• Aliasing was also noted to be smoother, you can tell the difference by paying attention to the ships various round openings during the cut scene, PS3 AA was much better
• Clipping was not noticed during any cut scene
• More detail was witnessed during initial cut scene for the road surface texture and the character models
• Pop ins were limited to the “shimmering” effect of building shadows and certain filtering of dense trees
• Loading time during First Date cut scene was between 2-5 seconds
• “white room” during Cabaret show was not witnessed
• Fast drives, explosions, crashes, and 3 star wanted rating produced no noticeable pop in

Official Retail NTSC GTA IV XBOX 360 Version (only differences between PS3 are noted):

• Load time from first appearance of the Rockstar logo to the beginning of cut scene was 7 seconds (no HDD installation was required)
• Colors of character models and scenery during initial cut scene were more contrasted compared to both PS3 and Ripped versions
• Anti Aliasing appeared the same as the ripped version but more jaggy lines were noticed on all curved surfaces compared to PS3 version
• During initial cut scene, building silhouettes as the ship approaches the harbor were noted to pop in and out for a brief second
• Pop in for shadows and trees were more frequent. For every one shadow on the PS3, there were 3 that popped for the 360 (average).
• Fast drives, explosions, and crashes produced no noticeable pop in
• 3 star wanted rating created pop ins at the same location (hospital) for surround trees and building surface textures across the street

So what does this all mean? It means that from a technical perspective, the PS3 version is the better of the 4. The burned ISO (I did burn this 4 times with 2 other friends also testing it out) faired the worst out of the bunch. The pop-in and load time makes that game barely playable compared to other games I’m accustomed to. I am not sure what the source was for this burned ISO but others have validated my findings, locally and on other forums. While there are those that have said their burned version did not suffer from these pop ins, but there is no way to validate those points as pop ins do not occur in the same place every time or for everyone. The retail 360 version holds its own very well, considering its limited technical power (compared to PS3 specs). The HDD install for the PS3 certainly helps, as it should, with the load times and frame rates. Texture pop in was also minimal on the PS3, but I cannot say if it is because of the HDD install. Colors were more photo-realistic in the PS3 version. It looked grimmer at night, and cleaner at dawn, and murky at dusk. That’s how I would imagine a place like Liberty City would be, think of The Wire and you will understand. Colors on the 360 were much brighter and contrasted and the lines on the faces of the character models were more pronounced, causing a harsher look. Primary colors were very noticeable on the 360 which lends to a more “cartoon” feel. Load times were slightly longer but negligible for someone not comparing this to a 6.5 GB install on a high end PC. These are actually very fast load times for a console game of this size and complexity. Load times were the worst for the burned version. There was actually a period during that First Date cut scene that I contemplated getting a drink and a snack because it took so long.

As for a recommendation on which version is the best you will have to look past the technological analysis. This is unfortunate because the PS3 is clearly (to me at least) the better programmed and performing version. However, the consumer has to take into account the following factors:

• PS3 user base is smaller than the XBOX 360; therefore, there will be a lower maximum amount of users online for multiplayer
• PS3’s PSN is free to play where XBOX 360 Live service is $59.99 (Canadian MSRP for 12 month subscription)
• PS3 control scheme differs from XBOX 360 control scheme. PS3 controls are more familiar if you have played previous GTA games on PS2
• Downloadable content is coming for the XBOX 360 version only (for the moment) and could arrive as soon as this summer
• PS3 60GB systems have been reported to suffer from game freezes (I did not witness this during my 2 hours with the game on PS3 60GB)
• XBOX 360 has online achievement points and a gamer score tie in

If I were to recommend one version over the other, it would depend on what you value most. If you don’t care about multiplayer with your friends (note: cross platform multiplayer is not available, so if you want to play together, you have to own the same version) or achievements/gamer score then choose the PS3 for its technical polish. If you do care about online with your friends, achievements and gamer score, then choose the XBOX 360 version. For all the 360’s faults, they are not so bad to the point it distracts you from the experience (unless you are playing the downloaded version). For myself, because I really value visuals and that I rare play online with XBOX Live (I can’t stand the kids!!) I am leaning towards the PS3 version. However, I am an achievement whore. I love the idea of having secondary goals to give incentive to people like myself that are not so story driven. There is also the promise of downloadable content, which may not be great, but with Rockstar’s history it should be the size of an expansion pack (let’s hope it’s not GTA IV: Pets!) I am still on the fence because of my personal preferences but if you are not in my situation, I would rent both before committing (if you have not already). I have both copies of the Special Edition still sealed but only one will be returning to the store…which one will that be? Tune in next week (or sooner) for the verdict!

UPDATE: As per suggestion, I retested both my burned copies at 8X drive speed with optional HDD installed to see if load times and pop ins would be comparable to the retail 360 version running on my Elite. I used the same 120GB HDD from my Elite 360 and installed it on my modified arcade. Here are my findings:

• Load times from start of Rockstar logo to beginning of cut scene was 31 Seconds (this is a 5 second improvement)
• The load times during the cut scene for First Date mission loaded from 7 seconds to 28 seconds (this improved from 10-35 seconds)
• Textures of shadows and trees were still popping in and the shimmering effect was still seen, although it appeared to occur less frequently
• AA issues still apparent
• There were no disappearing roads or popping in of trees during the 1.5 hours I played the game
• Garbage cans, picnic tables, and certain other destructible elements did suffer from pop in

The installation of the HDD did prove some slight improvement of load times, in some cases, this improved by 3 seconds. However, pop in and texture loading still occurred. There was a noticeable reduction in pop in compared to the first round of testing, and during the 1.5 hours of play, the road did not disappear on me or did a building pop up in my path. This does not mean that everyone should run out and get a HDD as the load times was not a significant increase and texture tearing and popping was already reduced with the retail version for the XBOX 360 compared to the burned version. On a related note, I noticed that the burned version had a slightly different cut scene than the retail version on the PS3 and 360. There is a part where a stripper is dancing on a pole, in the retail versions for both consoles, she is wearing a white bikini top. However, on the burned version, she is not wearing a bikini top and instead there is a black "X" taped across her nipples. I'm not sure if that means the ripped release was actually from a non-retail source or if the code was modified. As for my own decision of which version to keep, I will be keeping the XBOX 360 version despite the graphical improvement. I don't want to run the risk of the downloadable content being fabulous and having to replay the whole game again just to have access to it. I will eventually purchase a PS3 version due to its technical merits, but that won't be until it becomes less than $30. Too bad, I liked the PS3 Special Edition's box art better. Scratch one on the board for Microsoft and their foresight in securing some exclusive content. They made at least one graphics cynic look past its faults and choose 360 over the more polished PS3. EDIT #1: I will update tonight after a reader suggested that in all fairness, I should test the burned copies with a HDD installed on the modded box. I'll time the loads and see if there's a difference in load times and other issues.

GTA: Pets

GTA IV is almost among us!

For some, you may already be playing it. I won’t debate the righteousness of pirate software here (and we can just be honest, it is piracy – as defined by the law makers). But the truth is the versions that are floating out on the digital horizon may not be what you are expecting.

From my previous posts, you know I have modded my 360; therefore, these games are available to me. So in all honesty, I have been playing it over the last weekend. I must say that I do agree with most of the reviews out there but this game is not a 10. I’m not going to give a review here because I’m far from finishing it but initial impressions are that it has some work to do before I can justify giving this a perfect rating for games in this current generation. There are some technical issues with my cracked version, and being a pirate, you can’t always verify where the good were obtained from. You certainly can’t be picky if you are getting it for free. But this has led me to think about what video gaming as an industry is becoming.

I feel that gaming industry is slowly (or quickly depending on your point of view) becoming closer to the movie and music industry. It’s only natural because of the type of business and their shared forms of media. But this also means that there’s good and bad for the consumer.

EA is becoming a giant in the video games sector, both as a developer and a publisher. The good thing is that there’s at least one other (Activision/Blizzard) that can compete but this also means the little guys will suffer from higher levels of bureaucracy.

Imagine for a moment if EA successfully acquires Take2. With the cash cow that’s Rockstar and the GTA brand, EA will have no problems folding that into the mould of other successful franchises such as the Sims. Now fast forward one year and they announce GTA V. GTA V will technically be GTA IV with slightly higher frame rates, cleaner textures, and connectivity to the EA online store. EA Online will also require you to register to play, and in game ads will be implemented. While you can connect to EA Online to buy new clothes and accessories for your protagonist (a man named Woo Pang, from communist China, seeking a new life in Liberty City). Initial publication reviews will give it a 7.9-8.8 stating that it is more of the same with tweaks here and there, and the additional online content will out weigh the necessity of in game ads. Their tag line will be: More of the same and that isn’t necessarily bad.

Then in 3 months, the first expansion pack will be released both online and in stores, riddled with bugs, and crashed multiple PS3 due to install error. But it will still sell one million copies because it now comes with the ability of owning pets for your protagonist.

I’m being cynical of course but it could very well happen. Personally, I’m glad that there are still medium sized publishers that are still pushing the limits in terms of artistic design, technical design, and political boundaries. Know that GTA IV: Spin Off One will definitely be released for both platforms shortly after the PC version will be released. And the downloadable content from the 360 version will be included with the expansion pack for the PS3 version.

I will be renting both copies of GTA: IV to try on unmodified systems and see if I’m still experiencing any of the same issues as my cracked version. I will post again once I am able to reliability compare the two versions to my cracked version. Honestly, I’ll probably just end up getting the 360 retail version anyway just because I’m an achievement whore.

Is Crap Still Crap if it is Free?

Some of you know that I have jumped on the HD-DVD fire sales. I currently own 3 HD-DVD players – 2 Xbox 360 add-on drives and 1 Toshiba A30. Since the demise of HD-DVD, my collection has ballooned to 5 times its original size and it’s sitting at close to 35 titles and growing. The problem I run into is that they are pricing these HD-DVDs at close to $8 used and $13 new. At these prices, it’s so close to rental costs that it makes more sense to own them. I run into a problem with titles such as Shrek the Third. That movie received universally low scores and did not fair very well general audiences. I have seen it and I thought there were moments but certainly not a worthy title to own in ones collection. But at a price of $8 used (and in mint condition – I wonder why!) it’s almost a shame to leave it behind.

So I bought this piece of crap for the sake of it being a cheap.

The other thing that has been bothering me is with most of my consoles modded (PS3 is the only one still virgin), I have access to a whole catalog of crap that I would not have considered if my console was still virgin. The Wii is a prime example of this, where there are 8 crap-tacular games for every one good title. I have recently come across the game Elebits. That game was an average 7.5 score and was mediocre at best. But I was always interested in it so I decided to pick it off of my site. Once booted and I began to play, I realized that this would have been fun if I was 12 years old or if I had never played a video game before. The Xbox 360 also has its share of crap-tacular titles. I was playing Kane and Lynch the other day and was that ever a stinker.

I guess the point is when you have the ability to get free crap, most people that are predisposed to deals, will jump on it. I can personally list a few friends and family that have boxes full of crap because it was a good deal. In keeping with my “green” theme, I think I will save some “green” money and be more selective on my “purchases” from now on. Because even if I have access to these titles of my modded consoles, it is still costing me time, effort, and the price of media to play a piece of crap.

Not Easy Being Green

Green is the buzz word for 2008. I think we can all agree those in any modern field of manufacturing and commodities have been pushing “greener” living and consumption. Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Price for his work in the field of awareness. His film, An Inconvenient Truth, also generated two Academy Awards. Although I have yet to see that film from start to finish, and regardless of whether you agree with his point of view or not, it has generated a lot of discussion on the issue of global warming and the responsibility humans have as stewards of the Earth. This is why I was toying with the idea of building a secondary PC for the sole purpose of file transfer.

I have been know to occasionally torrent a few files and have had the need to keep my desktop (or more accurately “deskbottom”) PC on for extended periods of time (30 days and counting now). This puts a lot of strain on the electricity bill, not to mention the increased consumption of natural resources. Even though Calgary’s major power provider is committed to green energy, it is still a wasteful practice that I wanted to reduce. So in researching the actual consumption wattage of my PC, and without using a kill-a-watt type machine, I can say my system idle consumption is between 150-200W. So if my PC is online 24/7 for the last 30 days, I have then used, at worst case scenario:

Wattage x Hours Used Per Day = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption (1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 Watts)

200W X 24 = 4800/1000 = 4.8 kWh per day

My current provider is charging approximately $0.10/kWh so that’s costing me $0.48/day to run my computer and over a period of $30 days, that’s $14.40 I am paying for uploading.

My computer system is a fair beast, with 4 fans, 3 hard drives, 8800GT, 4GB of ram, and a CPU that’s overclocked by 40%. Do I need the power to bittorrent? No. So how much can I save by going to a HTPC style of a torrent server? Even at best case scenario, which is like a laptop usage, I would still be consuming around 80W by having a barebones system running instead of my main PC. That’s a savings of $8.64 using the same calculations from above. This amount to a total of $103.38 per year assuming prices per kWh remains the same.

The configured HTPC barebones system will cost at the least, $350 to build/order. That means I have to use this system for the next 3 years in order to break even. I can hear Al Gore saying now, “But think about all that intrinsic value you gain by saving the environment!” I’m sorry Al; I have to save my pocket book first before I can save the environment. Not everyone can be the ex-vice president and be independently wealthy when they retire. So for the moment, I will try and use my PC less, maybe cutting uptime by 25% at first and go from there. It would be interesting to see what it actually works out to be in real dollar savings.

And on a related note, Calgary was just hit with about 5cm of snow. Even the trees are having a hard time going green!