Sony Shortchanges...err...Everyone.

PSP 'square' button sticky.

Now if this isn't odd, i dont know what is. Ken Kutaragi, Sony Computer Entertainment head honcho, stated that "the square button is designed less responsive because of the way the LCD screen is positioned, and developers and players will just have to get used to it."

Get used to it? What the crap? Telling developers and players to get used to your inability to make a good product? Why in the hell didn't they just make the PSP a little longer to make room for the buttons? Makes no fsking sense to me. Fix your product, dont shortchange us. Just another reason to dislike Sony.

Yark.

Lazy Update

My Half-Life 2 newspaper article, unedited of course.


Half Life 2 Review

“Time, Mr. Freeman?”

Time, indeed. Six long years after the first one has ransacked Wal-Mart shelves, Half-Life 2 finally makes its way into gamers’ hands. Is everyone happy? Probably not. Can one game live up to the unimaginable hype that has hit games like Halo 2 and Half-Life 2? Nope. But, is Half-Life 2 a damn good game? You know it. This is, hands down, my pick for best single player first person shooter…ever. It’s also the best game of this past holiday season, I think, beating out Halo 2. Not possible you scream. Read on.

First lets get to the basics of what makes this game great. The Source engine, or the graphics engine that the game runs on. “But, its just pretty stuff, unless it’s Doom 3, it can’t be that great right?” Wrong. Half-Life 2’s engine takes the graphics engine in a completely different direction than that of Doom 3’s engine. Physics is the big sell here. The way cars bounce, the way barrels fall when you throw them, and how objects break, and all matter in this game. It also adds up to the coolest weapon in gaming history so far. More on that to come later. Objects have buoyancy, so little splinters of wood, can actually be seen floating around in water. I don’t know what it is, but I really like the water in this game. It looks real, scarily real. I don’t know why that gets to me, but its cool. The environment the game is set in, City 17, feels so incredibly alive, and dead at the same time. Which is actually perfect for what the games story is set up to do.

The story. What makes a good single player FPS? A good story, a good environment for the story, and good A.I. to fight against the entire course of the game. Thankfully, Half-Life 2 shines in all aspects.

Without spoiling the story, which I wont try to do, let me tell you that this will be the most intriguing story that you have followed in a long time. You’ll follow the world’s best non-hero, Gordon Freeman, through a series of stages, with the first three stages being the best sequence of stages I’ve ever played in a game. You’ll be driving a boat. Through three stages. Sounds boring right? Wrong. You wont even notice that you’ve gone through three levels until you finally have to get off the boat and start roaming around on foot, and by that time, you’ll be hooked. Don’t worry, though, when you get off the boat, you get the coolest weapon. Ever. A little gem called the Gravity Gun. What this gun does is allow you to pick up objects in the world around you, and let you hurl them at enemies. Don’t like the way that guy looked at you? Pick up a toilet and fling it at him. Running low on life? No problem pick up and hold onto that table, using it as a shield, and then fling it at someone. Of course Valve threw in some puzzles that force you to use the Gravity Gun, but nothing too taxing. What’s better, is toward the end of the game, the Gravity Gun gets a “power-up”, that allows you to grab enemies, and fling them at their old buddies. And yes, you can use grabbed enemies and bullet-shields as well. But I guess I should say something on the ending. Yes, it does leave it wide open for another one, but what game these days doesn’t? I think the ending, while some people may hate it, was absolutely perfect. The ending seems to bring everything in Half-Life 2 full circle, which again works nicely. Although it was a kind of quick cut off, you almost felt the game should end there, and it didn’t feel weird to end where it did, unlike Halo 2.

The small European town you’re planted into known only as “City 17” feels exactly like it should. Alive, but dead. It’s hard to explain without actually playing the game, but I’ll try. The combine, who are brutal oppressor evil-type bad guys of the game, are everywhere. You’ll see plenty of scripted cut scenes of where the combine are walking around simply beating people up. In the beginning of the game, you’ll recognize a friend from Black Mesa, from the first Half-Life, who somehow ends up as a combine soldier, he comments on being “behind on his monthly beatings.” This is what makes the city feel so dead. No one walks around, except for combine patrols. And if you walk up to them, they tell you to move along. If you don’t, you get beat up. Simple.

And, those are some smart combine soldiers. They’ll shoot you from behind, and then they’ll run and hide. You’ll run out, get shot again, and then turn around and see nothing. You will repeat this process until you run back to the spot where the shots are coming from and finally finish off the guy. And this is on easy. Don’t expect the combine to usually be by themselves either. When you fight off one combine peon, expect there to be another waiting to take his place. It’s a never-ending process, and this comes highly into play about the middle of the game. Essentially, you’re in a prison. Stuck between to rows of cells, and you have to fend off a constant flow of combine soldiers coming at you for about five minutes. Dying, even on easy difficulty happened a few times. Its tough, but man is it fun.

What about the multiplayer you ask? Well, Valve will un-doubtedly leave the modding work up to the community, as it still is very much alive since Half-Life 1, but they have included Counter-Strike: Source, a mostly asthetic update to the original Counter-Strike. It still is the same old Counter-Strike that we all know and love, but new people to the Half-Life world will have some serious trouble trying to pick up a game that some people have been playing for the better part of six years now. Which is where my complaint with Half-Life 2 begins.

Seriously, would have it been so much trouble to just include the recently released Half-Life 2 Deathmatch with the game? Probably not. But in an effort to get the game out the door, (granted it had been delayed for over a year, and wasn’t really Valve’s fault) they didn’t add this in. Its there now, which is good, but it still should’ve been there to start with. It’s also kinda laggy online. I’ve played a few times here at Texas State, and even on the campus connection, I still kinda lagged around. Half-Life was known for its brilliant Net Code, and the ability that even dial-up users could play all right, so this should be a shining point of Half-Life 2.

I also have to complain about Valve’s choices about how they released Half-Life 2, and the registering online as well. Half-Life 2 was released primarily over Steam, Valve’s own “gaming network”, so to speak. That means you could pay for it online, and then download the game as soon as it went on sale. Well, this is fine as long as the box copy equals it. The problem is that the box copy doesn’t equal it. 50 bucks spent (normally, but you have to love Christmas) and all I get is some paper cases to hold my cds’ in? For that much, you could at least stick the cd’s in a nice case or something.

All in all, though, my complaints aren’t really with Half-Life 2’s shining point, its single player game. I loved the single player game, and, I guess since I still do play some Counter-Strike, the multiplayer isn’t bad. The HL2 Deathmatch is a lot of fun, even if it’s mildly laggy. Game of the year for 2004? You got that right. Lets just hope we don’t have to wait until 2010 to see the next one.

Massassi Temple

I figure if people still go to this site, and its still updated regularly, it should get a plug from one of its visitor's since the late 90's.

The Massassi Temple

For all the non-star wars geeks out there, it is THE definitive site for all your Jedi Knight series mods. This includes Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy. And yes, its still updated quite regularly with NEW Jedi Knight mods. Yes, this single site is keeping the modding community alive for the original Jedi Knight, which was released over five years ago. So if ya have the time, go check it out.

Yark.

Using Google to find unsecure network camera's.

Chalk another one up for ignorance. The fine people at the Graffe Forums have tossed up a search string that you can type into google, and bring up a listing of unsecure cameras.

Google this: inurl:"ViewerFrame?Mode="

You'll bring up a listing of all sorts of random crap. From camera's controlling parking lots, to camera's watching lab mice. Have fun.

Yark.

Crime Fighter

Continuing the classic game update menu is a game that is near and dear to my heart. Its a simple little game called "Crime Fighter" ,and contrary to popular belief, you do not fight crime. You're are a criminal, doing everything you possibly can to get a leg up in the gang world. By doing more dastardly deeds, you'll get more and more recognized. This, while getting you better jobs, also gets you nabbed pretty easily by the police. But the fuzz isn't a problem when you can buy a fake id. Its incredible how deep this game is for an old DOS game. But i think the game's most defining feature is probably its over the top crimes.

Here's a quick example. Say you try and nab a kid from a neighboorhood park. But you've been caught. By a bunch of unruly grandma's with machine guns. Which they hid in their purse.

No lie, these are types of things you'll see. You could accidently break into the home of Rambo, or a family of gun fanatics. You can nab a kid and, if you actually get him, sell him for cheap labor. You could again try and nab another kid only to realize that him and all his friends have real machine guns instead of fake ones. You can blackmail the mayor of the town for whatever you feel neccessary.

I couldn't find the original company that made this game, probably because, this early GTA-type game probably wouldn't make it in America. Anyhow, here's a link to download, what i believe is, the windows version of the game.

Crime Fighter Shareware

Yark.

Bad Mojo. (Reduxxed).

Wow, does this bring back some memories. I remember playing the demo of this waaayyyy back on my 16 mb of ram compaq presario, also lacking a 3d card. It...didn't rule.
Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised when i saw the remake of this game on Gamespot. Its called Bad Mojo (Redux), and i'll do what i can to describe it. You play as a cockroach. Yes, a cockroach. You see, you were a mad scientist who was playing with obviously one too many odd chemicals, and now...you are a cockroach.

So the story doesn't sound too wonderful. In fact, it probably sucks. I never got to finish the whole thing since i only had a demo. But i can tell that the graphics are...photorealistic? Wait...on a really, really old game? Yup. And the gameplay is surprisingly fun as you run through the everyday problems of a run-down San Francisco apartment. Things like insect traps, scalding hot chili, hot dogs, and stove top ovens are some of the many blockades you must get past.

Anyhow,here's a link to the game site in case you might want to check it out.
Got Game Entertainment

Yark.

Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money

Well...not totally sure on the subtitle, but it makes too much sense to not call it that. Anyway, as per usual, here's your proof.

The Search For More News

In other unrelated news, dont expect the blog to often be updated 4 times a day. Expect...something else.

Yark.

Ipod Shuffle.

Hmm..whats a good word for this..oh,right.

Finally!

Yes, Apple has finally released a version of the Ipod for cheap bastards, and dont you feel special? Yes, its a 99 dollar iPod that plays a little over a hundred songs.(512 MB, or you could get the 1 GB one for $149) Could i find a cheaper one that plays about the same amount of songs? Probably. But in this case, people(probably including myself) will go with the brand name that Apple has created in the mp3 player department. It doesn't have a screen, which makes things a little more difficult, but if you only have 120 songs on there, well then a screen really isn't justifiable for how much more it might cost you.

So, to sum it up, if you're looking for a cheap, but worthy mp3 player, look no further than the ipod shuffle.

BugMeNot

For Firefox users, here's an extension that allows you to bypass...stuff. Right, stuff.. Usernames and Passwords stuff.

BugMeNot For Firefox.

Just another reason to <3 Firefox.

Gamers are discovered to be...*gasp*..human beings!

Gamers are Human!

Straight from the horses mouth at yahoo. From the horses mouth of some other horses mouth. But honestly, a study was needed to discover this? How about the bloated sales numbers of all the A-list titles this year? The ridicously long lines for Halo 2 at midnight were obviously just signposts of America's obesity. Again, someone missed the memo that gamers are practically everyone living in the US. But hey, who cares. I'm a nerd, i'm not fat, and i play sports. Yark.

Doom 3 for Xbox...

Am i supposed to be excited? I guess i should be. March 1st is the magic date for Doom 3 to be released on Xbox, along side a collector's edition on the same day. Regular is 50 bucks and Collector's is 60, which comes with Doom 2 and Ultimate Doom, plus storyboards and extra crap. Now, if i hadn't played this on the PC already...then i may be interested. Its big upside is the online co-op play, which Halo 2 doesn't have. 4 player Deathmatch can be fun if done right. Hell just look at all the Quake 3 Arena Dreamcast players. I was one of them, and i didn't mind in the least. But...the problem here? I've played a better game. And it is Half-Life 2. It's also scheduled for an Xbox release...so why would i want Doom? Beats me. Even though im writing this late, Half-Life 2 wins my "insert catchy name for game of the year award here", and Doom 3, while good, was not up to snuff. Scary as hell, yes. For the whole game, no. The game became predictable with its scares, and when that happens, you lose that adrenaline feeling you get when you play it. For multiplayer "game of the year" though, it goes to Halo 2. Single Player Halo 2 is boring. I'll come out and say it. *Watches hate mail pour in* I personally have never liked the Halo story, or single player gameplay. And you cant say you liked the ending. You would be lying. So why do i have the game? For its online play of course. Addicting, and whole lotta fun.

So if you're looking for a good game early this season on Xbox,i wouldn't spend my money on Doom 3. I'd wait for something like Destroy All Humans! which looks like a load of fun, and kick on 50's off-beat science fiction humor. Name-branding isn't everything people.

But thats just for Xbox blather...if you're looking for a good PC game this early in the year...look no further than Guild Wars. We'll save that for later.

While Waiting for Guild Wars...

So, im sitting here waiting for the Guild Wars beta weekend to start...and i dont really know much to do. Besides play around with Garry's Mod from Half-Life 2. If you haven't picked it up already, you should. Garry's Mod and Half-Life 2 for that matter. Garry's mod allows you to move practically anything on screen around, and, if your sick little heart/mind desires, put the people in rather compromising positions. I've spent a little time playing with it, and my first creation is pretty cool. It may show up on the potd over at planethalflife.com, or i'll try and get it up here eventually. Its just a little game of football involving Lamarr...nothing too weird.

In unrelated news, my college has weird times. Rather than going back the 12th, like i was originally told, i go back the 15th. And classes start that Tuesday, instead of that Thursday, which i was also originally told. I heart my kollej.

Gigabit Transfer over Power Lines.

Oh please...someone implement this right now.

Gigabit Story, click here.

Currently im at home, with ye ol' 56k dial-up. I personally cant wait to get back on my high-speed conn at college, but if i could have a gigabit over power lines? Sign me up. Or do what you can to convince my family to sign up. Either way.

America's Problem With Mature and Violent Video Games.

This is an article i wrote for my campus newspaper that may never get published because of its subject, and its vocal language. To explain the opening paragraph...i write for a college campus newspaper which, the college is notorious for extremely low parking availability. This creates huge lines at the parking services building in the Fall semester.

Gaming And America

Imagine the video game industry as the parking services building at the beginning of the year, and each lawyer, disgruntled organization, misinformed parent or any other general miscreant as the students in line. When one problem is finally resolved, the next person steps up to the front of the line, thinking their problem is different from the last.

So what is the big deal here? Why do so many people whine and complain about the violence in video games? Are these games going to fry impressionable young minds? Contrary to what Mr. Joe Lieberman, well known violent video game critic, might tell you, I grew up playing Mortal Kombat, Doom, and Killer Instinct, and, although it might be debateable, I grew up just fine. My own mother was a worry type about these games, and did I play them anyhow? You betcha. Hi mom. Do I still play violent video games now? You betcha.

So you’re probably asking yourself what this article is about? Quite frankly, I’m going to take articles complaining about violence in video games, and bash them. Unabashedly. Before this circus gets underway, let me say this. If a game is rated M (for Mature), that means it’s for people years 17 and older. It isn’t for little 12-year-old Johnny, unless his parents deem him fit. The M rated games should not be in a separate part of the store. If these hokies got their way, we’d probably have back-alley game stores, kinda like the back-alley porn stores, complete with funny smells. Wonderful, next time I go to buy an M-rated game, it’ll be tucked away in the section by the Playboy videos.

So how is America misinformed on the topic of violent video games? We’ll start with the most accredited university in America, and discredit them. Harvard released a study at http://kidsrisk.harvard.edu/faqs3.htm in which they talked about violence in E-rated games. E-rated games, ladies and gentlemen. That’s the ones that even little Johnny can play. In this survey/study Harvard took 55 E-rated games, played them, and came up, in Harvard-like style, came up with statistical percentages that tell how much violence is in each game. Of the two main categories,” Which game contained the most violence as a percentage of game play time?” and “Which games contained the most deaths per minute of game play?” Harvard came up with one dastardly game: Centipede. Yes, Centipede. That cute little game that has you shooting at a large pixilated centipede, a-la Galaga (or Galaxian for the other two who know it by that name), before it gets to you. Centipede has a crazy percentage of 23.76 Deaths per minute. This number is astounding. According to this study, the Columbine shooters must have been playing Centipede as their anger grew. This study makes Centipede look like the equivalent of nuclear warfare in the video gaming world. Just to let you know, a Pokemon game also made their list of terrible E-rated games. If Pikachu is evil to six-year-old’s, that means sports stars shouldn’t be role models anymore. Oh wait…

So Harvard is wrong. Who’s next on the list?

Ah, the APA, or the American Psychological Association looks like a fine place to move to next. They begin their journal at http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp784772.html with another Columbine/Doom reference. I simply abhor the fact that anyone can use a ten-year old game to prove a point. Doom as a “murder-simulation”? Please. I’m shooting off the forces of Hell in Doom, not the jock who keeps taking my lunch money. The APA refers to Doom as a “bloody, shoot em up.” Clearly, they haven’t been playing games recently. If I truly wanted a useless murder simulator, I’d pick up Postal 2. Much bloodier, and much more realistic. If news reporters and these organizations want to complain about violent video games, at least blame the ones that look like I’m actually killing someone.

Oh this next one looks like fun. The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

I think this one press statement sums up the general stupidity on the part of every violent video game critic. Well maybe not stupidity as much as ignorance. But, since this is a rant, its stupidity. This “joint statement” (who is joining them in this?) was released on November 23^rd as part of a so-called “conference on violent video games”. Who knew they had one? Anyhow, they give “special concern” to games like Halo, Half-Life, Doom, and the Hitman series. Fair enough, these games are pretty violent. What’s not fair enough? Lets take a look at their little list, which they deem, and I quote “Worst Violent Video Games”. Worst violent? As opposed to the best violent games? If they’re saying violence in video games is bad, than shouldn’t every violent video game make their esteemed list? Anyhow, this list is compiled of this year’s “worst violent games”. Games that came out in 2004. So, here is their glorious list. Grabbing the worst violent game is Doom 3. Ah, fair enough, it’s bloody, it’s scary, and it’s violent. Second is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is considered by a lot of video game critics to be the Mecca of what’s wrong with American society. In third comes Gunslinger Girls 2. Wait…what? I’ve never…heard of this game. After a little research, it turns out this is an import game. That means a game that comes from the land of the Rising Sun, and, chances are, won’t sell well here anyway. Besides that fact, the title is named incorrectly. Gunslinger Girls Vol.3 is the one that came out this year. Alright, so a seldom played game here in the states takes the third spot. Fourth and fifth are Half-Life 2 and Halo 2, respectively. Violent? Sure why not. Taking the sixth spot is Hitman: Blood Money. Wait a minute…that doesn’t sound familiar in that series. Nope, it shouldn’t. Why? The dern game isn’t even out yet, and isn’t even scheduled for release yet. Look for that one to make the “Worst Violent Games of 2010” list. Chalk another one up for the brains over at the ICCR. Next, in the seventh spot, comes that evil game from Rockstar called Manhunt. There’s no doubt about it. This game is violent. Kids under 18 shouldn’t play it. Period. So what’s the problem here? The game came out in 2003, not 2004. Taking the number eight spot by storm is Mortal Combat. That’s right. Mortal Combat, with the “C”. Please, if a game is so coveted to make your highly misinformed list, at least spell it right. Ok, we’ll assume they meant Mortal Kombat, since one with a “C” in “combat” has never come out. But speaking of coming out…do they mean the one that came out this year? By this we can only assume they mean the original, which came out a little over ten years ago. No specifications, no positive answer. Stamping up the number nine spot is Postal 2. Insert your own remark about that bad joke here. Alright, violent game? Check. Lots of blood? Check. Gary Coleman with a big gun? Check. Game out in 2004? Not a check. Postal 2 was released in 2003, which shouldn’t technically qualify this game for this list, but, obviously, anything’s fair game here. Finally, rounding out the number ten spot is Shadow Heart. Shadow Heart? Whew, that’s almost going back to the Doom reference. That game came out in 2001. Anyhow, here’s that statement, if you don’t believe me. http://www.iccr.org/news/press_releases/pr_jtstatement112304.htm

How else can I take a shot at the media today? Lets take those Washington snipers into account a few months back. I remember a distinct segment on the “Today” show talking about a game called “Snipers”. They showed footage of the game and talked with an esteemed violent video game critic. It was a good interview done by Matt Lauer that was conducted well. So where did the “Today” show make their flaw? The game they picked. It’s terrible. I mean, horrendous. Just try to shoot someone in this game. No, really, go for it. Honestly, if I had to review that game for here, it would’ve maybe gotten half a star. Only out of pity that someone actually spent time to make this thing. I understand why they chose the game with the name and all, but please, at least blame good violent video games.

So what does this all add up to? A whole lot of ignorance. Do I think parents should be informed on what their child is playing? Of course. Should it be up to the parent to decide what is right for their children? Of course. But should we blame violent video games for overweight, anti-socializing kids? No, we blame the person who didn’t introduce them to the outside world otherwise. If a kid has mental problems, and constantly plays violent games, then yes, there is a problem. Get him/her away from those games. Relatively recent, there was a young adult who committed suicide over Everquest, the highly addictive online MMORPG, after finding out that he was essentially “ripped-off” online. After he committed suicide, his mother lobbied a suit against Sony Online Entertainment, the people who run the online world of Everquest. What was her eventual downfall? Her son had a history of mental problems, and shouldn’t have been playing games all day anyhow, yet she failed to act when her son would get seriously distraught over this game. Needless to say, she’s a little too far down that line to come back now.

So who’s to blame in all this? Is it the game producer’s who should be making more content for children? Is it the consumer’s who should be watching what they buy? Or is it the highly uninformed media, who just take shots at whatever looks like an easy scapegoat? Whoever it is, don’t you think we’ll still be playing violent video games in the future? You betcha.

Also to update this article,since its unchanged since i wrote it...the "C" in "Mortal Combat" has been fixed to a "K".

Welcome

Welcome to my loserly blog. Mostly tech articles, and other nerdy things here, but on the occasion, a look into my life. I am a technology/gaming writer for a newspaper, so expect to see those articles on here too, or links to them. Whichever's easier. Right now though, its time for Call of Duty.