Okay ... so it goes without saying that I picked up Halo 3 last night (this morning). I originally had pre-ordered the Limited Edition (that would be the expensive one WITHOUT the helmet). Thing is, I'd heard that apparently the folks over at MS were having some problems with the Limited version, as the discs were popping off the pegs in the packaging, resulting in a lot of scratched discs. So, using this as a perfect excuse to validate a decision I'd probably already made subconsciously, I managed to upgrade at the last minute to the Legendary Edition. Yeah, that's right ... I have the helmet now.
So, first off I had to play a little 1-on-1 with my friend Jenn. After getting her set up, we played around on a couple of the maps, and she got to try out some new weapons. Personally, I'm loving the Spartan Laser, and the flamethrower kicks serious ass too. After that, I popped in the bonus discs to check things out a little, watch the RvB episodes (Episode One redone in Halo 3 graphics is CLASSIC), and then decided to jump into the single player campaign. Then I realized something ... I haven't slept in a couple of days, and barring anything unusual, I don't think the Chief is going anywhere. So, it looks like I'll "Finish the Fight" later today ...
Oh, and for the record, Heroes STILL kicks ass!!
End of Line ...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
State of the WldCard address
First the bad news:
Unfortunately, I'm no longer working as the News Editor over at Game Almighty. I could make up some grandiose tale involving superheroics, midget mobsters, and ninja accountants, but the only truth would have probably been about the accountants part. The truth of the matter is, the company hit a bit of a financial speed bump and had to put a lot of the staff on a leave of absence for an indeterminate length of time.
Does this mean the end of Game Almighty? Hell, if you read comics enough, you know that nothing is dead 'til you see the body ... and even then it probably will come back. The site is still up and running, and you may even see an article from me on occasion during the restructuring. If and when things change, I'll let you guys know.
Now the good news:
Where one well dries up, another springs forth sometimes. Although I was never technically exclusive to Game Almighty, since I started there six months back, the only other real work I've done elsewhere was my usual production work with Electric Playground. Another season means another batch of Comic of the Week segments and more. Now that I'm freed up, I've been popping up again all around the place. New to the list of regular haunts? TeamXbox. Expect to see me doing a lot of writing over there in the coming months too.
Want to see some of the most recent stuff?
So, what's looming on the horizon? Look for an interview w/ Eric Holmes, lead designer on Radical's upcoming next-gen hit, Prototype as well as an exclusive interview with California State Senator Leland Yee regarding his thoughts on the video game industry and bill AB 1179 (the bill restricting the distribution of video games to minors that was struck down in CA District Court).
Now for the newest feature on the blog: the WldCard Omnibus, where I'll answer some frequently asked questions in rapid fire.
Here goes ...
Okay, that's all for now ... feel free to submit your own questions for the next Omnibus here in a message or comment, or email it to me through the usual means.
End of line ...
Unfortunately, I'm no longer working as the News Editor over at Game Almighty. I could make up some grandiose tale involving superheroics, midget mobsters, and ninja accountants, but the only truth would have probably been about the accountants part. The truth of the matter is, the company hit a bit of a financial speed bump and had to put a lot of the staff on a leave of absence for an indeterminate length of time.
Does this mean the end of Game Almighty? Hell, if you read comics enough, you know that nothing is dead 'til you see the body ... and even then it probably will come back. The site is still up and running, and you may even see an article from me on occasion during the restructuring. If and when things change, I'll let you guys know.
Now the good news:
Where one well dries up, another springs forth sometimes. Although I was never technically exclusive to Game Almighty, since I started there six months back, the only other real work I've done elsewhere was my usual production work with Electric Playground. Another season means another batch of Comic of the Week segments and more. Now that I'm freed up, I've been popping up again all around the place. New to the list of regular haunts? TeamXbox. Expect to see me doing a lot of writing over there in the coming months too.
Want to see some of the most recent stuff?
- Fatal Inertia review @ TeamXbox
- Dynasty Warriors Gundam review @ TeamXbox
- Dead Head Fred (PSP) review @ GameSpy
- Turn It Around! (DS) review @ GameSpy
So, what's looming on the horizon? Look for an interview w/ Eric Holmes, lead designer on Radical's upcoming next-gen hit, Prototype as well as an exclusive interview with California State Senator Leland Yee regarding his thoughts on the video game industry and bill AB 1179 (the bill restricting the distribution of video games to minors that was struck down in CA District Court).
Now for the newest feature on the blog: the WldCard Omnibus, where I'll answer some frequently asked questions in rapid fire.
Here goes ...
- Yes, I AM in fact single (big surprise)
- Umm ... I don't really know WHY it's important for you to know what I'm wearing
- Tonight? Probably watching Heroes and playing Halo 3. Got any better ideas?
- No, you can NOT borrow $20 ... quit asking
- Yes, I really do get paid to play video games
- Yes, the job has its REALLY bad days (try putting together a list of the worst games ever)
- Yes, there are still some surprises up my sleeves
- The profile pic was by comic book artist, Kelly Yates. The colors were thrown on by me and my Photoshop.
- The background pic is by comic artist Randy Green
- Caboose is doing fine
- Yes, I'm still deeply entrenched in the comic industry
- Not real sure of its "meaning", but I hear it makes for a decent cereal, an okay magazine, and Brian's was a HILARIOUS Monty Python flick.
Okay, that's all for now ... feel free to submit your own questions for the next Omnibus here in a message or comment, or email it to me through the usual means.
End of line ...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Drawn to Life
So, this week THQ and 5th Cell finally released Drawn to Life to DS audiences. In case you've never heard of it, the best way to describe it is: "Classic platformer with a twist".
The gist of the game is that you are the mythical Creator of legend, who drew an entire world into existence. Now, that world is being overrun by evil little shadow creatures and you've been called in to lend a hand. To help out, you infuse a small wooden mannequin with some of your power, drawing the character into life (hence the name of the game).
The big hook here is that when you're playing the game, you create a custom hero. Using the basic paint tools offered in the game, you can make the character look like just about anything. Also, at key points in the title, you'll be called upon to draw more assets, such as custom platforms, weapons, and even spaceships. While these items react the same no matter what you actually draw, it's a great way to "draw" the player into the experience. Right not, for example, I've drawn up a custom animated Master Chief as my hero, armed with a crude representation of a Covenant Plasma Rilfe. Through the first stage, "M. Chief" was hopping around on the Xbox 360 logo and having a grand ol' time on the DS.
The game supports 3 saves/heroes, and players can trade out their characters with friends via local connections. While I haven't tried this yet, you can also apparently swap out parts between characters, making for some cool little Frankenstein's monster mashups.
The gameplay itself is pretty straightforward ... think along the lines of the original Mario games (before he went all 3D). The player runs around collecting coins and bouncing on enemies. The touchscreen is used sporadically for things like clearing the inky shadows from the landscape, but otherwise it's main focus is drawing.
I'm having a lot of fun with this right now. It's nothing too deep, and it's a casual yet creative little gem that may fly under most people's radar. Still, if you're looking for a change of pace and are feeling a bit artistic, give Drawn to Life a whirl.
The gist of the game is that you are the mythical Creator of legend, who drew an entire world into existence. Now, that world is being overrun by evil little shadow creatures and you've been called in to lend a hand. To help out, you infuse a small wooden mannequin with some of your power, drawing the character into life (hence the name of the game).
The big hook here is that when you're playing the game, you create a custom hero. Using the basic paint tools offered in the game, you can make the character look like just about anything. Also, at key points in the title, you'll be called upon to draw more assets, such as custom platforms, weapons, and even spaceships. While these items react the same no matter what you actually draw, it's a great way to "draw" the player into the experience. Right not, for example, I've drawn up a custom animated Master Chief as my hero, armed with a crude representation of a Covenant Plasma Rilfe. Through the first stage, "M. Chief" was hopping around on the Xbox 360 logo and having a grand ol' time on the DS.
The game supports 3 saves/heroes, and players can trade out their characters with friends via local connections. While I haven't tried this yet, you can also apparently swap out parts between characters, making for some cool little Frankenstein's monster mashups.
The gameplay itself is pretty straightforward ... think along the lines of the original Mario games (before he went all 3D). The player runs around collecting coins and bouncing on enemies. The touchscreen is used sporadically for things like clearing the inky shadows from the landscape, but otherwise it's main focus is drawing.
I'm having a lot of fun with this right now. It's nothing too deep, and it's a casual yet creative little gem that may fly under most people's radar. Still, if you're looking for a change of pace and are feeling a bit artistic, give Drawn to Life a whirl.
Monday, September 10, 2007
A shifting of priorities ...
Where do I start on the beginning of this fine, fine week?
Here's the scoop, due to some unusual events last week, things have freed up a little bit for me finally. So, what does that mean for all of you? Well, besides seeing a lot more in the way of freelance work here and there around the net, you're going to be seeing some changes here as well. You'll likely start seeing a new design roll out this month, and you'll definitely be seeing more content.
My goal is to create a one-stop shop for news relating to video games, comics, movies, and other such stuff. Until everything gets finalized, you'll be seeing more in the way of news posted here, albeit in a slightly unorganized manner. Consider this your "Pardon our mess while we remodel" notice.
Later,
David
Here's the scoop, due to some unusual events last week, things have freed up a little bit for me finally. So, what does that mean for all of you? Well, besides seeing a lot more in the way of freelance work here and there around the net, you're going to be seeing some changes here as well. You'll likely start seeing a new design roll out this month, and you'll definitely be seeing more content.
My goal is to create a one-stop shop for news relating to video games, comics, movies, and other such stuff. Until everything gets finalized, you'll be seeing more in the way of news posted here, albeit in a slightly unorganized manner. Consider this your "Pardon our mess while we remodel" notice.
Later,
David
Saturday, September 08, 2007
PSP 2K
So by now most retailers have gotten in their shipments of the new PSP Daxter Entertainment pack ... which is also the public's first gander at the newly redesigned PSP (dubbed the PSP 2000 in the press, but carrying an actual PSP 2001 model number). I decided to bite the bullet and pick this up, and I've gotta say that I'm impressed so far by what I've seen.
First off, I've gotta say that if you're in the market for a PSP, this is definitely the way to go. For just 30 buck more than the core unit's $170 retail price, you get a copy of the HILARIOUSLY fun Daxter game ($20 MSRP), a copy of the Family Guy Freakin' Sweet Collection UMD (another $20 MSRP), AND a 1G Memory Stick Pro DUO (ringing in at an MSRP of $50). So, all in all, you'll save about $60 total ... even better, this weekend, Target has the pack listed at 15% off ... making it the same $169.99 retail price as a core system. And keep in mind, you've still got a week or so until the new PSP models hit stores in the Core packs.
Moving along to the system itself ... I'll skip any mention of the cool "Ice Silver" (bad pun) color. The first thing I noticed when I pulled it out of the package is that the new system feels ... well ... fake. I'm not knocking the system, but it's just SUCH a huge change. Basically, Sony has swapped the heavy metal outer body of the original PSP with lighter, seemingly durable, plastic body for the new model. The result makes the new model feel ... well ... like a cheap prop when compared to the original.
Another physical tweak to the design is the new UMD loading tray. Gone are the days of sliding in the UMD and trying to get the spring inside to lock into place. Now, you just pop open a small door, lay the UMD inside, and everything just falls into place. I'm a little split on this design. I LOVE the way the UMDs fit into the tray now, but I'm not a fan of the elimination of the eject button. Every time I manually pop open the UMD slot, I'm afraid I'm going to snap the damned thing off. Maybe I'm just being paranoid since it's new ... and since the rest of the PSP feels like a prop.
On the original PSP, the speakers were situated on the bottom side of the unit (where the serial number and wrist strap loop are). This was fine, but occasionally, depending on how you held the system, your fingers couldn't help but cover them. With the new speaker placements, at the upper portion of the main menu, this isn't a problem. As a result, the new system SEEMS to have sharper sound. It really isn't much of a difference in terms of hardware, but without players' hands getting in the way, the speakers sounds richer than before.
Now, maybe it's just me and maybe I'm losing my mind, but I'll be damned if the new screen isn't somehow sharper looking than the original. Playing games like Dead Head Fred on the system, everything looks about as crisp as if I was playing it on my HD LCD. Right now, I'm just itching to get my hands on the video cables to see just how this stacks up when actually ON the LCD TV. I think Sony kinda missed the boat by not including the AV Out cables, especially considering that the video out function is one of the new system's biggest draws. Either way, it looks like I'll have to wait til a little later to see the AV out in action.
Now, I do notice a slight decrease in the load times with the new PSP over the old one. I bring this up because, while it HAS been described as a feature in earlier material from Sony, some of the press has said there wasn't much of a noticeable change. Others have said there was a measurable change. For my personal experience, I'm in the latter group. While still not exactly lightning fast in some cases, the UMDs do, by and large, load up quite a bit faster than they did before.
So, if you already have a PSP, should you buy this new models? Eh ... I guess it's a matter of preference. For me, and in my line of work, the video out option alone was worth a look ... and the extra onboard memory and such was a nice added bonus. Would it have been a necessity to get the new model? No. But was there enough for me to justify it? Personally, yes. For others, maybe not so much. But if you DON'T already have a PSP, this is definitely the way to go for getting one.
I'll write up an update later to discuss more of the software features of the new PSP, as well as the infamous video out function. In the meantime, the PSP 2001 is definitely worth a look.
First off, I've gotta say that if you're in the market for a PSP, this is definitely the way to go. For just 30 buck more than the core unit's $170 retail price, you get a copy of the HILARIOUSLY fun Daxter game ($20 MSRP), a copy of the Family Guy Freakin' Sweet Collection UMD (another $20 MSRP), AND a 1G Memory Stick Pro DUO (ringing in at an MSRP of $50). So, all in all, you'll save about $60 total ... even better, this weekend, Target has the pack listed at 15% off ... making it the same $169.99 retail price as a core system. And keep in mind, you've still got a week or so until the new PSP models hit stores in the Core packs.
Moving along to the system itself ... I'll skip any mention of the cool "Ice Silver" (bad pun) color. The first thing I noticed when I pulled it out of the package is that the new system feels ... well ... fake. I'm not knocking the system, but it's just SUCH a huge change. Basically, Sony has swapped the heavy metal outer body of the original PSP with lighter, seemingly durable, plastic body for the new model. The result makes the new model feel ... well ... like a cheap prop when compared to the original.
Another physical tweak to the design is the new UMD loading tray. Gone are the days of sliding in the UMD and trying to get the spring inside to lock into place. Now, you just pop open a small door, lay the UMD inside, and everything just falls into place. I'm a little split on this design. I LOVE the way the UMDs fit into the tray now, but I'm not a fan of the elimination of the eject button. Every time I manually pop open the UMD slot, I'm afraid I'm going to snap the damned thing off. Maybe I'm just being paranoid since it's new ... and since the rest of the PSP feels like a prop.
On the original PSP, the speakers were situated on the bottom side of the unit (where the serial number and wrist strap loop are). This was fine, but occasionally, depending on how you held the system, your fingers couldn't help but cover them. With the new speaker placements, at the upper portion of the main menu, this isn't a problem. As a result, the new system SEEMS to have sharper sound. It really isn't much of a difference in terms of hardware, but without players' hands getting in the way, the speakers sounds richer than before.
Now, maybe it's just me and maybe I'm losing my mind, but I'll be damned if the new screen isn't somehow sharper looking than the original. Playing games like Dead Head Fred on the system, everything looks about as crisp as if I was playing it on my HD LCD. Right now, I'm just itching to get my hands on the video cables to see just how this stacks up when actually ON the LCD TV. I think Sony kinda missed the boat by not including the AV Out cables, especially considering that the video out function is one of the new system's biggest draws. Either way, it looks like I'll have to wait til a little later to see the AV out in action.
Now, I do notice a slight decrease in the load times with the new PSP over the old one. I bring this up because, while it HAS been described as a feature in earlier material from Sony, some of the press has said there wasn't much of a noticeable change. Others have said there was a measurable change. For my personal experience, I'm in the latter group. While still not exactly lightning fast in some cases, the UMDs do, by and large, load up quite a bit faster than they did before.
So, if you already have a PSP, should you buy this new models? Eh ... I guess it's a matter of preference. For me, and in my line of work, the video out option alone was worth a look ... and the extra onboard memory and such was a nice added bonus. Would it have been a necessity to get the new model? No. But was there enough for me to justify it? Personally, yes. For others, maybe not so much. But if you DON'T already have a PSP, this is definitely the way to go for getting one.
I'll write up an update later to discuss more of the software features of the new PSP, as well as the infamous video out function. In the meantime, the PSP 2001 is definitely worth a look.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Four and Twenty (HP) Blackbirds ...
No, I'm not talking about pie here. So, if you're a computer geek, you may have heard that HP bought Voodoo not too long ago. People kinda figured that meant HP was going to be getting into the gaming rig business ...
They were right ...
http://www.hp.com/blackbird
Looks like I know what I'm getting myself this Christmas (or sooner).
[--INSERT "OOOO"S AND "AAAHHHH"S HERE--]
From the HP Blackbird 002 PC website:
Processor
AMD® X2 Dual Core Architecture
* 64 bit data paths and registers
* Hypertransport-- I/O Bus
* 16 128-bit SSE/SSE2/SSE3 registers
* Integrated DDR2 memory Controler
Configurations
* Athlon-- AMD X2 6000+ 3.0GHz
o 1MB of L2 cache per processor
Intel® Core-- Micro architecture
* 128-bit SSE3 vector engine
* 64-bit data paths and registers
* Energy efficiency optimization
* Thermal cut-outs to mitigate damage from system overclocking
Configurations
* Intel® Core2-- Extreme 2.93GHz
o 4MB of L2 cache per processor (8MB total)
* Intel® Core2-- Duo 2.66GHz
o 4MB of L2 cache per processor (8MB total)
* Intel® Core2-- Duo 3.0GHz
o 4MB of L2 cache per processor (8MB total)
* Intel® Core2-- Extreme Quad-Core 3.0GHz
o 8MB of L2 cache per processor (16MB total)
1.33 GHz, 64-bit front side bus
Memory
* 1GB 667 MHz DDR2 PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
* 1GB 800 MHz CORSAIR PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
* 1GB 1GHz CORSAIR PC2-8500 DDR2 SDRAM SLI enabled
Four FSB-DIMM slots supporting up to 8 GB of main memory
256-bit-wide memory architecture
Graphics and Displays
Two Doublewide, 16-lane PCI Express graphics slot with one or more of the following graphic cards installed:
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 GT with 256MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port
* NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS with 640MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port (available with liquid cooling)
* NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX, with 756MB of GDDR2 SDRAM one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port (available with liquid cooling)
* ATI RADEON-- X2900 XT 512MB, with 512MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, (available with liquid-cooling)
* ATI RADEON X2900-- XT 1GB, with 1GB of GDDR2 SDRAM, (available with liquid-cooling)
* ATI RADEON-- HD 2600 XT, with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, Dual configuration only.
Ageia PhysX-- PCI-E GFX Accelerator Card
Four slots for up to two PCIe graphics cards
Dual-link DVI ports support up to 2560 by 1600 pixels.
Support for analog resolutions up to 2048 by 1536 pixels at 85HZ
DVI to VGA adapter included
Dual-display support for extended desktops and video mirroring modes
Communications
Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45) ports that can support jumbo frames
Storage
Five independent Serial ATA slot loading hard drive bays
Up to 4TB of internal storage using drives with the following capacities:
* Hard drive bays 1 – 5 160GB 10,000 rpm SATA (Western Digital Raptor)
* 320GB 7200 rpm SATA
* 500GB 7200 rpm SATA
* 750GB 7200 rpm SATA
Two Super multi-drive, slim slots with Lightscribe (DVD+/-R/RW+/-DL)
* Writes DVD-R discs at up to 16x speed
* Writes DVD+R DL discs at up to 4x speed
* Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed
* Writes CD-R discs at up to 40x speed
* Writes CD-RW discs at up to 24x speed
* Reads CDs at up to 24x speed
o A single 5 1/4 bay for Blu-ray Rewriter and , HD DVD-ROM Super multi-drive with LightScribe CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW/RAM, +R/RW, +/- R DL
o BD-R/RE SL/DL read and write compatible
o CD Family, DVD-ROM read compatible
o HD DVD-ROM/R read compatible
Electrical and environmental requirements
* Line voltage: 100-120V AC or 200-240V AC (wide-range power supply input voltage)
* Frequency: 50GHz to 60Hz single phase
* Current: Maximum of 12A (low-voltage range) or 6A (high-voltage range)
* Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
* Storage temperature: -40° to 116° F (-40° to 47° C)
* Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
* Maximum altitude: 10,000 feet
Peripherals and audio
Back panel:
* One PS/2 mouse port
* One PS/2 keyboard port
* Two eSATA ports
* One IEEE1394 port
* LCD screen (for diagnostics and status)
* LCD back light button (some boards only)
* SPDIF out and optical out port
* Two RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet) ports (number depends on MB)
* Four USB 2.0 ports (number depends on MB)
Top panel:
* 15 in 1 multi-card reader
* One IEEE1394 port
* Two USB 2.0 ports
* One 1/8" microphone jack
* One 1/8" headphone jack
Optional audio cards:
* Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi-- XtremeGamer
* Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi-- XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional
Features
* Speaker and Headphone connections: Stereo to 7.1 (Line Out via three 3.5mm mini jacks)
* Flexijack: Line In / Microphone In / Digital Out / Digital I/O via shared 3.5mm mini jack
* Auxiliary Line level Input: 4-pin Molex connector
Expansion slots
* 3 PCIe x16 slots (The two blue PCIe x16 slots operate with a full compliment of 16 PCI Express lanes, while the third white slot operates with only 8)
* 1 PCIe x1 slot
* 2 PCI v2.2 slots
Operating System and Software
* Microsoft® Windows Vista-- Ultimate
* Microsoft® Windows Vista-- Home Premium Security
Security
* AVG Anti-Virus
Productivity
* Adobe® Reader®
* Microsoft® Office Pro 2007
* Microsoft® Office Small Business Edition 2007
* Microsoft® Office Basic
Burning
* CyberLink DVDPlay
* PowerProducer
* Power2Go
... all that, and it looks all nice a purdy too :-P
So, I'm a geek and I'll probably never need all of that. But I'm a greedy little bastard of a geek who wants it all anyway.
They were right ...
http://www.hp.com/blackbird
Looks like I know what I'm getting myself this Christmas (or sooner).
[--INSERT "OOOO"S AND "AAAHHHH"S HERE--]
From the HP Blackbird 002 PC website:
Processor
AMD® X2 Dual Core Architecture
* 64 bit data paths and registers
* Hypertransport-- I/O Bus
* 16 128-bit SSE/SSE2/SSE3 registers
* Integrated DDR2 memory Controler
Configurations
* Athlon-- AMD X2 6000+ 3.0GHz
o 1MB of L2 cache per processor
Intel® Core-- Micro architecture
* 128-bit SSE3 vector engine
* 64-bit data paths and registers
* Energy efficiency optimization
* Thermal cut-outs to mitigate damage from system overclocking
Configurations
* Intel® Core2-- Extreme 2.93GHz
o 4MB of L2 cache per processor (8MB total)
* Intel® Core2-- Duo 2.66GHz
o 4MB of L2 cache per processor (8MB total)
* Intel® Core2-- Duo 3.0GHz
o 4MB of L2 cache per processor (8MB total)
* Intel® Core2-- Extreme Quad-Core 3.0GHz
o 8MB of L2 cache per processor (16MB total)
1.33 GHz, 64-bit front side bus
Memory
* 1GB 667 MHz DDR2 PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
* 1GB 800 MHz CORSAIR PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
* 1GB 1GHz CORSAIR PC2-8500 DDR2 SDRAM SLI enabled
Four FSB-DIMM slots supporting up to 8 GB of main memory
256-bit-wide memory architecture
Graphics and Displays
Two Doublewide, 16-lane PCI Express graphics slot with one or more of the following graphic cards installed:
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 GT with 256MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port
* NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS with 640MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port (available with liquid cooling)
* NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX, with 756MB of GDDR2 SDRAM one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port (available with liquid cooling)
* ATI RADEON-- X2900 XT 512MB, with 512MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, (available with liquid-cooling)
* ATI RADEON X2900-- XT 1GB, with 1GB of GDDR2 SDRAM, (available with liquid-cooling)
* ATI RADEON-- HD 2600 XT, with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, Dual configuration only.
Ageia PhysX-- PCI-E GFX Accelerator Card
Four slots for up to two PCIe graphics cards
Dual-link DVI ports support up to 2560 by 1600 pixels.
Support for analog resolutions up to 2048 by 1536 pixels at 85HZ
DVI to VGA adapter included
Dual-display support for extended desktops and video mirroring modes
Communications
Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45) ports that can support jumbo frames
Storage
Five independent Serial ATA slot loading hard drive bays
Up to 4TB of internal storage using drives with the following capacities:
* Hard drive bays 1 – 5 160GB 10,000 rpm SATA (Western Digital Raptor)
* 320GB 7200 rpm SATA
* 500GB 7200 rpm SATA
* 750GB 7200 rpm SATA
Two Super multi-drive, slim slots with Lightscribe (DVD+/-R/RW+/-DL)
* Writes DVD-R discs at up to 16x speed
* Writes DVD+R DL discs at up to 4x speed
* Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed
* Writes CD-R discs at up to 40x speed
* Writes CD-RW discs at up to 24x speed
* Reads CDs at up to 24x speed
o A single 5 1/4 bay for Blu-ray Rewriter and , HD DVD-ROM Super multi-drive with LightScribe CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW/RAM, +R/RW, +/- R DL
o BD-R/RE SL/DL read and write compatible
o CD Family, DVD-ROM read compatible
o HD DVD-ROM/R read compatible
Electrical and environmental requirements
* Line voltage: 100-120V AC or 200-240V AC (wide-range power supply input voltage)
* Frequency: 50GHz to 60Hz single phase
* Current: Maximum of 12A (low-voltage range) or 6A (high-voltage range)
* Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
* Storage temperature: -40° to 116° F (-40° to 47° C)
* Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
* Maximum altitude: 10,000 feet
Peripherals and audio
Back panel:
* One PS/2 mouse port
* One PS/2 keyboard port
* Two eSATA ports
* One IEEE1394 port
* LCD screen (for diagnostics and status)
* LCD back light button (some boards only)
* SPDIF out and optical out port
* Two RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet) ports (number depends on MB)
* Four USB 2.0 ports (number depends on MB)
Top panel:
* 15 in 1 multi-card reader
* One IEEE1394 port
* Two USB 2.0 ports
* One 1/8" microphone jack
* One 1/8" headphone jack
Optional audio cards:
* Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi-- XtremeGamer
* Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi-- XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional
Features
* Speaker and Headphone connections: Stereo to 7.1 (Line Out via three 3.5mm mini jacks)
* Flexijack: Line In / Microphone In / Digital Out / Digital I/O via shared 3.5mm mini jack
* Auxiliary Line level Input: 4-pin Molex connector
Expansion slots
* 3 PCIe x16 slots (The two blue PCIe x16 slots operate with a full compliment of 16 PCI Express lanes, while the third white slot operates with only 8)
* 1 PCIe x1 slot
* 2 PCI v2.2 slots
Operating System and Software
* Microsoft® Windows Vista-- Ultimate
* Microsoft® Windows Vista-- Home Premium Security
Security
* AVG Anti-Virus
Productivity
* Adobe® Reader®
* Microsoft® Office Pro 2007
* Microsoft® Office Small Business Edition 2007
* Microsoft® Office Basic
Burning
* CyberLink DVDPlay
* PowerProducer
* Power2Go
... all that, and it looks all nice a purdy too :-P
So, I'm a geek and I'll probably never need all of that. But I'm a greedy little bastard of a geek who wants it all anyway.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
E3, Day T-Minus One
Okay ... so lots of craziness yesterday, including an apparent near-miss with another plane while flying to L.A. Maybe it's just me, but when the pilot comes on the speaker to say the turbulence we went through was our plane getting caught in another plane's jet wash ... a plane which no one in the cockpit saw coming or saw where it went ... well, I tend to get a little leery. Oh well.
Moving on, my connection at the hotel is a bit wonky (okay, it sucks), so there's been a delay posting yesterday's activities. Righ now, though, I'm at a Starbucks with my trusty T-Mobile HotSpot connection ... so I'll try to catch up while doing some extra work. Due to the screwed connection though, the video blog will likely have to start post-E3
Next up, I've got some pictures from the latter part of the evening. Sorry folks, no camcorder for the night then. These phone pics will have to do:
Moving on, my connection at the hotel is a bit wonky (okay, it sucks), so there's been a delay posting yesterday's activities. Righ now, though, I'm at a Starbucks with my trusty T-Mobile HotSpot connection ... so I'll try to catch up while doing some extra work. Due to the screwed connection though, the video blog will likely have to start post-E3
Next up, I've got some pictures from the latter part of the evening. Sorry folks, no camcorder for the night then. These phone pics will have to do:
Saturday, June 16, 2007
And now ... back to our show
It's been an unusually chaotic few weeks lately. One of the biggest things to happen is the posting of my three part feature on dealing with Jack Thompson. I got a surprising amount of positive feedback from the piece, and even got a mention on TechTalk Radio out of Arizona. There's a fun little postscript to the article as well, with Jack sending me his thoughts on it and my reply.
... and my response?
So there you go ... Nothing else new from Jack, though I did hear through the journalist grapevine that he said my piece was "not an article" but rather "a childish rant" and that Jack didn't "have time for this silliness". But obviously he at least read part of it ...
Moving on ...
I noticed this morning that Blogger is in the early staged of incorporating video posting. Well, that may be just the excuse I need to start posting a few video blogs on the site. For some of you, that'll mean actually seeing something other than the cartoon version of me online. I figure, I've got the digital camcorder ... maybe it's time to make use of it.
Okay ... that about wraps it up for now. More to come ...
From: Jack Thompson
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 7:36 AM
To: David Chapman
Subject: Re: Final part of Game Almighty editorial
Nice touch using "Jack Ass." Pathetic.
... and my response?
From: David Chapman
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 8:34 AM
To: 'Jack Thompson'
Subject: RE: Final part of Game Almighty editorial
I appreciate you taking the time to read the article, or at least the title. Use of the term "Jack Ass" did seem apropos followin your references to me as a "piss ant".
Remember, I went into this initially in the hopes of talking with you and trying to understand your point of view. I was honest and forthright when I said that, while you and I would likely never see eye to eye, I want to present your side of the arguement and perhaps find a middle ground. It was your decision to dismiss things out of hand, and act unprofessionally by slinging insults and accusations. Even then, I tried to give you your "fair coverage", including posting your letter to Bill Gates regarding Halo 3 immediately after receiving one of your insults. The offer to respond to anything I or anyone else has written has always stood firm. I think the article reflects that as well.
It's simple, actually. You may consider me to be a "pathetic", "blasphemous", "piss ant" who needs to "get a life" ... but there are still two things I have that I hope one day you understand the concept of: "professionalism" and "integrity".
So there you go ... Nothing else new from Jack, though I did hear through the journalist grapevine that he said my piece was "not an article" but rather "a childish rant" and that Jack didn't "have time for this silliness". But obviously he at least read part of it ...
Moving on ...
I noticed this morning that Blogger is in the early staged of incorporating video posting. Well, that may be just the excuse I need to start posting a few video blogs on the site. For some of you, that'll mean actually seeing something other than the cartoon version of me online. I figure, I've got the digital camcorder ... maybe it's time to make use of it.
Okay ... that about wraps it up for now. More to come ...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Jack Thompson thinks I need a life ...
Well now, THIS was certainly something interesting to wake up to. Bear with me ... this is going to run a little long.
If you've been following my blogs or checking out Game Almighty, you know that I've had the unfortunate "pleasure" of dealing with Jack Thompson. If you don't know who Jack Thompson is, I'd normally say count your blessings, but the truth of the matter is if you don't know who he is, you should at least be informed. He's a man who spews bile and venom at anything and everything that does not fall into his extreme views of what he deems as right and proper. I'm not going to go into a long diatribe right now, but suffice it to say he's a man whose words and actions should be looked at objectively, and not accepted blindly or ignored out of hand.
Having said that, I've been making a point of reporting on Thompson and his activities. I've done my best to simply present the facts to the best of my knowledge. Sure, I can't say that my own opinion hasn't occasionally creeped up in places, but never to the extent of making what I've written anything less than fair. After all, I've always held true to the belief that it's up to people as individuals to make up their minds ... and to not assume that MY way is the RIGHT way, an argument I don't believe Jack would understand.
So, my last article regarding Jack sending a letter to the CEO of Wendy's seemed to irk him. I received a short email stating that I was "not interested in fair coverage of an issue". Admittedly, this got under my skin ... more than enough for me to formulate a response. Here's what I had to say in return:
Mr. Thompson,
For the life of me, I can't figure out where you decided that I'm not interested in "fair coverage of an issue". The letter you sent to Kerri Anderson was printed in its entirety to allow readers to make up their own minds. Also, I've regularly requested interviews with you to help explain your point of view to myself and to the Game Almighty readers. You've even been offered an uncensored open forum to address the issues and the audience you are so extremely critical of. At every turn, you've talked down to the gaming audience and even gone so far as to claim that one reason you refused to do an interview was because the name "Game Almighty" was, in your words, "blasphemous".
From the start, I've told you that while you and I may not see eye to eye, I respect your right to speak. I've said time and again that my hope has been through open communication, both sides of the issue could at least come away with a better understanding of each other's views. I sent you a copy of the Swinburne University of Technology study to help on my side of the equation and I've asked about your thoughts on various gaming related matters to help showcase your views. I've made every attempt to give you a voice at Game Almighty. You have been the one to decline to use that voice.
As far as the most recent article goes, again, your letter was printed in its entirety to allow readers to judge the issue for themselves. Also, nothing printed in the article was untrue in the slightest. You did extend your fifteen minutes on the back of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, even going to far as to attempt to inject yourself into the police investigation, claiming to the police chief that "If your Department really wants to get to the bottom of this, you need to talk to me now."
You've also been engaged in an ongoing battle with the Florida Bar, which is currently looking into disciplinary action against you for your conduct and practices. You've attributed this to a vendetta and conspiracy targeting you by both the Bar and Take Two (and even members of the gaming media).
You've also settled the most recent round of lawsuits with Take Two, with conditions in place which are meant to prevent you from suing Take Two or those doing business with Take Two in an effort to block the sale of the Manhunt 2 or GTA IV, or to make any accusations that those doing business with the company have done wrong by offering the game. In fact, the terms of the settlement read specifically:
"Thompson shall not communicate on his own behalf with (i) any Take Two Entity or (ii) with any person or entity engaged in business activities of any kind with any Take Two Entity in which he (a) accuses, claims or asserts that any Take Two Entity has engaged or will engage in any wrongdoing based on the sale or distribution of any game designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by any Take-Two Entity, or (b) accuses, claims, asserts or contends that any such person or entity has or will engage in any wrongdoing based on or arising out of such sale or distribution, or (c) threatens any kind of action against such person or entity based on or arising out of such sale or distribution."
While the settlement does state that you still have the right to criticize the content and distribution of Take Two games, based on a reading of the above, your letter to Anderson could be construed as coming close to, if not actually, violating the terms of the settlement. Hence my observation at the end of the most recent story.
You challenged Jason Della Rocca, Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), to debate the issues in a press release, and then proceeded to backpedal on the issue when Della Rocca asked to do the debate without making money on the issue. In your press release, you stated, "Debate, Mr. Della Rocca, debate. Put your mouth where your money is. Stop hiding in your industry's corporate caves. Either debate or be quiet, as quiet as the people your industry has helped put into the ground." And yet you seemed to make clear you were more interested in making money off of the debate than you were in actually debating the issue. Your initial press release asked, "Or is Mr. Della Rocca, like others who are "spokespersons" for the violent video game industry, a coward who is unwilling to debate these issues in a public forum and not through a press office news release?" Yet by your own actions, you seemed to be the one unwilling to debate in a public forum instead of through news releases ... at least unless you were paid for it. Even in your dealings with Game Almighty, you would never answer direct questions asked of you regarding the issues, instead simply sending either short one or two sentence refusals to do an interview or sending out your latest press release with no regard for the questions asked.
You've even gone so far as to claim that numerous media outlets were all conspiring together against you, filing suits and attempting to get federal investigations on the matter. For what it's worth, I can guarantee you that there are no secret handshakes and special gatherings where we all dress in robes and chant in a darkened room surrounded by candles plotting your downfall. To be perfectly frank, based on my own interactions with you recently and the total the disregard and lack of respect you've shown to me, to Game Almighty, to the media, to the game industry as a whole, and to our audience, I personally would rather not be a party to helping spread the misinformed venom you seem to spew forth on a regular basis.
Still, despite all of this, I have and would continue to give you a voice at Game Almighty. Why? Because I am a professional. Do I have my own beliefs of the issues? Of course. Are they in direct conflict with yours? Obviously it would appear to be the case. However, I DO respect your right to have your views, and I still believe that understanding comes from communication. I believe that, while I may not agree with your point of view in the slightest, you have every right to that point of view, and you have the right to be heard. I believe that the audience should hear BOTH sides of the issues and draw their own conclusions. I believe that people, on the whole, are a lot more intelligent than you seem to give them credit for.
So, I will continue to cover you and your actions as they relate to the game industry. I will also continue to offer you an opportunity to speak, to discuss the issues, or to rebut and stories. I will continue to publish pertinent press releases and such you send on a regular basis. And I will do so in order to allow the audience to make informed decisions, regardless of what side of the issue they fall on. As a professional, I will continue to present BOTH sides of the story. It is up to you to choose whether or not to take advantage of this.
Sincerely,
David Chapman
News Editor, Game Almighty
Now, if you're still reading this, you've probably already started to formulate your own opinions about this situation. Some of you may think I should have just let it drop. Some of you may think my response was a bit out of line. Some of you may be cheering me on ... that's for you to decide. As for Jack himself, this was his response to my challange of his actions and the backing I provided in each case:
"You have WAY too much time on your hands. Get a life"
So, now I leave it in your hands ... what do all of YOU think?
If you've been following my blogs or checking out Game Almighty, you know that I've had the unfortunate "pleasure" of dealing with Jack Thompson. If you don't know who Jack Thompson is, I'd normally say count your blessings, but the truth of the matter is if you don't know who he is, you should at least be informed. He's a man who spews bile and venom at anything and everything that does not fall into his extreme views of what he deems as right and proper. I'm not going to go into a long diatribe right now, but suffice it to say he's a man whose words and actions should be looked at objectively, and not accepted blindly or ignored out of hand.
Having said that, I've been making a point of reporting on Thompson and his activities. I've done my best to simply present the facts to the best of my knowledge. Sure, I can't say that my own opinion hasn't occasionally creeped up in places, but never to the extent of making what I've written anything less than fair. After all, I've always held true to the belief that it's up to people as individuals to make up their minds ... and to not assume that MY way is the RIGHT way, an argument I don't believe Jack would understand.
So, my last article regarding Jack sending a letter to the CEO of Wendy's seemed to irk him. I received a short email stating that I was "not interested in fair coverage of an issue". Admittedly, this got under my skin ... more than enough for me to formulate a response. Here's what I had to say in return:
Mr. Thompson,
For the life of me, I can't figure out where you decided that I'm not interested in "fair coverage of an issue". The letter you sent to Kerri Anderson was printed in its entirety to allow readers to make up their own minds. Also, I've regularly requested interviews with you to help explain your point of view to myself and to the Game Almighty readers. You've even been offered an uncensored open forum to address the issues and the audience you are so extremely critical of. At every turn, you've talked down to the gaming audience and even gone so far as to claim that one reason you refused to do an interview was because the name "Game Almighty" was, in your words, "blasphemous".
From the start, I've told you that while you and I may not see eye to eye, I respect your right to speak. I've said time and again that my hope has been through open communication, both sides of the issue could at least come away with a better understanding of each other's views. I sent you a copy of the Swinburne University of Technology study to help on my side of the equation and I've asked about your thoughts on various gaming related matters to help showcase your views. I've made every attempt to give you a voice at Game Almighty. You have been the one to decline to use that voice.
As far as the most recent article goes, again, your letter was printed in its entirety to allow readers to judge the issue for themselves. Also, nothing printed in the article was untrue in the slightest. You did extend your fifteen minutes on the back of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, even going to far as to attempt to inject yourself into the police investigation, claiming to the police chief that "If your Department really wants to get to the bottom of this, you need to talk to me now."
You've also been engaged in an ongoing battle with the Florida Bar, which is currently looking into disciplinary action against you for your conduct and practices. You've attributed this to a vendetta and conspiracy targeting you by both the Bar and Take Two (and even members of the gaming media).
You've also settled the most recent round of lawsuits with Take Two, with conditions in place which are meant to prevent you from suing Take Two or those doing business with Take Two in an effort to block the sale of the Manhunt 2 or GTA IV, or to make any accusations that those doing business with the company have done wrong by offering the game. In fact, the terms of the settlement read specifically:
"Thompson shall not communicate on his own behalf with (i) any Take Two Entity or (ii) with any person or entity engaged in business activities of any kind with any Take Two Entity in which he (a) accuses, claims or asserts that any Take Two Entity has engaged or will engage in any wrongdoing based on the sale or distribution of any game designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by any Take-Two Entity, or (b) accuses, claims, asserts or contends that any such person or entity has or will engage in any wrongdoing based on or arising out of such sale or distribution, or (c) threatens any kind of action against such person or entity based on or arising out of such sale or distribution."
While the settlement does state that you still have the right to criticize the content and distribution of Take Two games, based on a reading of the above, your letter to Anderson could be construed as coming close to, if not actually, violating the terms of the settlement. Hence my observation at the end of the most recent story.
You challenged Jason Della Rocca, Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), to debate the issues in a press release, and then proceeded to backpedal on the issue when Della Rocca asked to do the debate without making money on the issue. In your press release, you stated, "Debate, Mr. Della Rocca, debate. Put your mouth where your money is. Stop hiding in your industry's corporate caves. Either debate or be quiet, as quiet as the people your industry has helped put into the ground." And yet you seemed to make clear you were more interested in making money off of the debate than you were in actually debating the issue. Your initial press release asked, "Or is Mr. Della Rocca, like others who are "spokespersons" for the violent video game industry, a coward who is unwilling to debate these issues in a public forum and not through a press office news release?" Yet by your own actions, you seemed to be the one unwilling to debate in a public forum instead of through news releases ... at least unless you were paid for it. Even in your dealings with Game Almighty, you would never answer direct questions asked of you regarding the issues, instead simply sending either short one or two sentence refusals to do an interview or sending out your latest press release with no regard for the questions asked.
You've even gone so far as to claim that numerous media outlets were all conspiring together against you, filing suits and attempting to get federal investigations on the matter. For what it's worth, I can guarantee you that there are no secret handshakes and special gatherings where we all dress in robes and chant in a darkened room surrounded by candles plotting your downfall. To be perfectly frank, based on my own interactions with you recently and the total the disregard and lack of respect you've shown to me, to Game Almighty, to the media, to the game industry as a whole, and to our audience, I personally would rather not be a party to helping spread the misinformed venom you seem to spew forth on a regular basis.
Still, despite all of this, I have and would continue to give you a voice at Game Almighty. Why? Because I am a professional. Do I have my own beliefs of the issues? Of course. Are they in direct conflict with yours? Obviously it would appear to be the case. However, I DO respect your right to have your views, and I still believe that understanding comes from communication. I believe that, while I may not agree with your point of view in the slightest, you have every right to that point of view, and you have the right to be heard. I believe that the audience should hear BOTH sides of the issues and draw their own conclusions. I believe that people, on the whole, are a lot more intelligent than you seem to give them credit for.
So, I will continue to cover you and your actions as they relate to the game industry. I will also continue to offer you an opportunity to speak, to discuss the issues, or to rebut and stories. I will continue to publish pertinent press releases and such you send on a regular basis. And I will do so in order to allow the audience to make informed decisions, regardless of what side of the issue they fall on. As a professional, I will continue to present BOTH sides of the story. It is up to you to choose whether or not to take advantage of this.
Sincerely,
David Chapman
News Editor, Game Almighty
Now, if you're still reading this, you've probably already started to formulate your own opinions about this situation. Some of you may think I should have just let it drop. Some of you may think my response was a bit out of line. Some of you may be cheering me on ... that's for you to decide. As for Jack himself, this was his response to my challange of his actions and the backing I provided in each case:
"You have WAY too much time on your hands. Get a life"
So, now I leave it in your hands ... what do all of YOU think?
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
I'm baaaaaaaccccckkkk
So, it's been WAY too long since my last post here. There's a lot of updating to be done over the weekend. I'll get to it though. Here's the short short version of recent events though.
What time I DO have left, I've been trying to have some sort of social life. However, I AM back now and I will be updating semi-regularly, usually on weekends now. So, to those that missed me ... I missed you guys too.
Later,
David
- Got regular gig as News Editor for Game Almighty
- Been working like a fiend at said job, doing things like having to talk with Jack Thompson (if you know who he is, you know why that is a chore)
- Had to get a new laptop and get everything configured and transferred in from the old system ... while that SHOULDN'T have taken a long time, it has ... plus I'm upgrading how I handle things as well.
- Blogger's finally updated, meaning no more "Sign into Beta" crap.
- Meet Daily ... Daily Beagle (bonus geek points to those of you that get the joke):
What time I DO have left, I've been trying to have some sort of social life. However, I AM back now and I will be updating semi-regularly, usually on weekends now. So, to those that missed me ... I missed you guys too.
Later,
David
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
My name is David ... and I'm a journalist
There's a lot of little things going on at once, so I'll try to update everyone here as best as I can. Ready? Here we go ...
First off, for those of you out there who have been following the problem I had w/ my arm, things are much better now. I've done the antibiotics for a couple of weeks now, and everything is returning to normal. The only real lingering effect is some minor swelling and some nerve issues. I've got a decent sized area near my shoulder that's completely numb, and the surrounding area is sensetive and tingling all the time. The reason for those problems has to do with pressure that was (and still is to a small extent) pushing against a nerve in my arm. With the swelling going down, the pressure has eased up and circulation is returning to normal ... so the nerves should start getting back to normal after a little bit of healing.
Now, on to the writing ... I've had a couple of things go live over at GameSpy in the past couple of weeks. I'll post links soon, though I'm also waiting for a couple of extra things to go up first. Also, I'll likely be doing a lot of extra writing for Games Radar in the upcoming future. And if you missed my debut entertainment article for the Florida Times-Union, you can find it archived online here.
And in an interesting twist of fate, I got a message from a former editor of mine asking me to come onboard as an editor for an upcoming magazine, with my focus (initially at least) being news and events in the comic industry. The work would also be non-exclusive, so I could do my regular video game, entertainment, etc. writing ... basically my usual freelance gigs ... without any conflict. I'm weighing things out before I commit completely, but I should start working with the editor pretty soon either way.
That about wraps it up for now (plus, I need to head out for a quick bit). I'll post more later.
First off, for those of you out there who have been following the problem I had w/ my arm, things are much better now. I've done the antibiotics for a couple of weeks now, and everything is returning to normal. The only real lingering effect is some minor swelling and some nerve issues. I've got a decent sized area near my shoulder that's completely numb, and the surrounding area is sensetive and tingling all the time. The reason for those problems has to do with pressure that was (and still is to a small extent) pushing against a nerve in my arm. With the swelling going down, the pressure has eased up and circulation is returning to normal ... so the nerves should start getting back to normal after a little bit of healing.
Now, on to the writing ... I've had a couple of things go live over at GameSpy in the past couple of weeks. I'll post links soon, though I'm also waiting for a couple of extra things to go up first. Also, I'll likely be doing a lot of extra writing for Games Radar in the upcoming future. And if you missed my debut entertainment article for the Florida Times-Union, you can find it archived online here.
And in an interesting twist of fate, I got a message from a former editor of mine asking me to come onboard as an editor for an upcoming magazine, with my focus (initially at least) being news and events in the comic industry. The work would also be non-exclusive, so I could do my regular video game, entertainment, etc. writing ... basically my usual freelance gigs ... without any conflict. I'm weighing things out before I commit completely, but I should start working with the editor pretty soon either way.
That about wraps it up for now (plus, I need to head out for a quick bit). I'll post more later.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Changes are a-comin'
Well, this should be interesting. I recently tweaked out my Google Account settings and found out that there's a new version of Blogger in the works. So, I've already transferred to the new Blogger beta. We'll all have to wait an see what this means now. For example, some of the features from before aren't yet implemented in the new Blogger, but there are supposedly a lot more features that the old Blogger just didn't have. I guess we'll trudge through the transition together.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Gotta LOVE Weird Al
Just saw Weird Al's newest video and almost pissed my pants laughing. Check it out for yourselves:
And yes ... that IS Donny Osmond
And yes ... that IS Donny Osmond
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Another round of updates
Well, I'm still waiting on GameSpy to post my review of NASCAR for the PSP ... but in the meantime, there's a lot more updatin' going on. Here we go:
First, over at GameSpy:
Things will be really crazy with my GameSpy work over the next week or so as well, as I've already written up one new DS review (MechAssault: Phantom War), and I got in a package with six more games to review this week. I'll probably be linking more stuff next week (of course).
Next we have a piece I did at All Games:
Yep, I shot out an early post on the Wii details, even before a lot of other game sites had the news up. I'll have more showing up on All Games on a regular basis now, especially once things start to get settled down.
For those of you living in the Jacksonville, FL area, pick up a copy of the Florida Times-Union tomorrow (Friday) to see my first piece for the paper in the Lifestyle section. Here's the kicker ... it's NOT about video games or comics or any of my "usual" pop culture stuff. My debut for the T-U is a write up on the opening of the Pirates of Penzance musical at the Players By The Sea. Expect to see more from me in the coming weeks and months ... and watch me branch out a bit and bring my unique personality into more "mainstream" entertainment coverage.
First, over at GameSpy:
Things will be really crazy with my GameSpy work over the next week or so as well, as I've already written up one new DS review (MechAssault: Phantom War), and I got in a package with six more games to review this week. I'll probably be linking more stuff next week (of course).
Next we have a piece I did at All Games:
Yep, I shot out an early post on the Wii details, even before a lot of other game sites had the news up. I'll have more showing up on All Games on a regular basis now, especially once things start to get settled down.
For those of you living in the Jacksonville, FL area, pick up a copy of the Florida Times-Union tomorrow (Friday) to see my first piece for the paper in the Lifestyle section. Here's the kicker ... it's NOT about video games or comics or any of my "usual" pop culture stuff. My debut for the T-U is a write up on the opening of the Pirates of Penzance musical at the Players By The Sea. Expect to see more from me in the coming weeks and months ... and watch me branch out a bit and bring my unique personality into more "mainstream" entertainment coverage.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Obligatory updates and the like ...
Y'know something I hate? I hate when I keep promising to update more often, and then circumstances stop me from KEEPING that promise. Well, for what it's worth, I AM trying to do better. Anway, on the the latest updates ...
First off, it's been a busy week or so for writing. Need proof?
GameSpy:
And over at Games Radar:
There's a LOT more coming down the pike too. Everything from Godfather for the 360 to Bomberman on the PSP. I'll post links as soon as they're up.
On to other journalism adventures ...
For starters (and for those keeping track), I did get a call back from Nintendo about a staff position at Nintendo Power. I made it to the final round of consideration, but just missed out on it. Ah well, congrats to the nameless soul who will be starting there shortly. I won't sulk about it though ... I'm starting immediately writing for Scot Rubin and All Games, where I will be providing news and occasionally popping onto the radio show as well.
And on a local front, I'm starting writingnext week for the entertainment section of the Florida Times-Union, The newspaper here in Jacksonville. I'll be covering everything I can on a freelance basis. For my first trick, I'll be writing up a review piece of a musical this coming weekend.
Anyway, so that's a quick update on the current state of affairs at the moment. More to come ...
First off, it's been a busy week or so for writing. Need proof?
GameSpy:
- D1 Professional Drift Grand Prix Series (PS2)
- Nascar 07 (PS2)(Xbox)
- Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover (PSP)
And over at Games Radar:
There's a LOT more coming down the pike too. Everything from Godfather for the 360 to Bomberman on the PSP. I'll post links as soon as they're up.
On to other journalism adventures ...
For starters (and for those keeping track), I did get a call back from Nintendo about a staff position at Nintendo Power. I made it to the final round of consideration, but just missed out on it. Ah well, congrats to the nameless soul who will be starting there shortly. I won't sulk about it though ... I'm starting immediately writing for Scot Rubin and All Games, where I will be providing news and occasionally popping onto the radio show as well.
And on a local front, I'm starting writingnext week for the entertainment section of the Florida Times-Union, The newspaper here in Jacksonville. I'll be covering everything I can on a freelance basis. For my first trick, I'll be writing up a review piece of a musical this coming weekend.
Anyway, so that's a quick update on the current state of affairs at the moment. More to come ...
Sunday, July 30, 2006
New Games Radar stuff
Just a quick post to link to a couple of new articles I wrote up over at Games Radar. Make sure to let 'em know you really like that new guy writing stuff up for them, and that you would check out the site a LOT more often if they could get him writing more stuff. Heh.
Death of a Trade Show??
So the rumor mill is running rampant today that the Entertainment Software Association is planning announce the cancellation of the E3 trade show as early as tomorrow (Monday). Reports are varying in their reporting, with some places saying the show will be reduced in size and moved to a new venue, while others hint at a total cancellation of the event.
I'm sure we'll find out the truth of things (and the fallout from it) over the next few days, but in the meantime, I want to get your opinions on the matter. Just how important ARE shows like E3 to the entertainment industry? Is it better to have a huge production like that, with everyone in the industry gathered under one roof? Or are smaller, more frequent company specific press junkets the way to go? Is it better to shine the spotlight brightly on the industry once a year? Or should we cast a dimmer light on our world throughout the year?
As someone covering the various industries, I can see good and bad in both ideas. On one hand, it's a lot easier to get a LOT of coverage when everything is together in a central location. Also, with the amount of media coverage garnered by shows like E3, the industry as a whole gets a lot of publicity. Plus, even if they're not necessarily in the same league as the big guns, the smaller production companies/developers/etc. can at least play ball in the same park.
On the other hand, it would be nice to see announcements, coverage, and all sorts of tidbits in the industry spread out over the course of a year. Why wait until May to show off your latest gaming revolution (or "Wii" in Nintendo's case)? It could also be easier to put together a broader coverage of the industry in the scope of that coverage. And then there's the geographic advantages. Market coverage can get a little more saturated when the coverage is spread from the West Coast to the East Coast and everywhere in between. At least as long as the media or publishers are willing to foot the travel expenses. Keep in mind that for a lot of media outlets, travel budgets are already through the roof.
So ... those are a few of MY thoughts ... what about yours?
I'm sure we'll find out the truth of things (and the fallout from it) over the next few days, but in the meantime, I want to get your opinions on the matter. Just how important ARE shows like E3 to the entertainment industry? Is it better to have a huge production like that, with everyone in the industry gathered under one roof? Or are smaller, more frequent company specific press junkets the way to go? Is it better to shine the spotlight brightly on the industry once a year? Or should we cast a dimmer light on our world throughout the year?
As someone covering the various industries, I can see good and bad in both ideas. On one hand, it's a lot easier to get a LOT of coverage when everything is together in a central location. Also, with the amount of media coverage garnered by shows like E3, the industry as a whole gets a lot of publicity. Plus, even if they're not necessarily in the same league as the big guns, the smaller production companies/developers/etc. can at least play ball in the same park.
On the other hand, it would be nice to see announcements, coverage, and all sorts of tidbits in the industry spread out over the course of a year. Why wait until May to show off your latest gaming revolution (or "Wii" in Nintendo's case)? It could also be easier to put together a broader coverage of the industry in the scope of that coverage. And then there's the geographic advantages. Market coverage can get a little more saturated when the coverage is spread from the West Coast to the East Coast and everywhere in between. At least as long as the media or publishers are willing to foot the travel expenses. Keep in mind that for a lot of media outlets, travel budgets are already through the roof.
So ... those are a few of MY thoughts ... what about yours?
Friday, July 28, 2006
Where DOES the time go??
Whew ... okay, so I've been slacking on updating the blog, but again, there's a good reason or three. So, enough with the exposition, let's get right into it:
First off, there was Comic-Con last week. I flew out there to produce some segments for Electric Playground and to cover the show for my newest freelancing home, Games Radar. Everything was crazy at the show, but definitely worthwhile. I put together a number of Comic of the Weeks segments for Electric Playground, which included interview pieces with: Paul Jenkins, Jim Palmiotti, Robert Kirkman, C.B. Cebulski, Justin Bleep, Cully Hamner, David Mack, Chris Gossett, Tim Seely, and a bunch of other fine comic folks.
Then there were some of the celebrity interviews. We got the cast of NBC's upcoming show Heroes (DEFINITELY on my "Must Watch" list this fall), Rosario Dawson, Brian Posehn, Rob Corddry, Stan Lee, Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard (creators of Home Movies), Jorge Garcia and Daniel Dae Kim from Lost, Billy West, and a whole lot more.
Let's not forget the video games ... Nintendo, Sony, Activision, Konami, Blizzard, Square-Enix, THQ, Warner Bros. Interactive, Vivendi-Universal, Capcom, and 2K Games were just a few of the companies showing off their wares at the show. I saw the latest from Justice League Heroes, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Naruto, The Darkness, Castlevania, Lost Planet, Spyro, and too many other games to list out. It was nuts ...
Oh, and lets not forget the events. There was a Naruto preview party, a Sony Online Block Party, and (one of the biggest events), the Marvel/Hasbro party. Again, just a crazy and chaotic adventure, all of which I'm barely scratching the surface of. There are stories of interesting rumors, chance meetings, production gaffes, and other sordid tales.
So, that obviously kept me busy ... but what else has been going on? Well, in case you missed the update, right after I "officially" started as Managing Editor at the new mag from the guys behind Play, things went into a holding pattern again and I couldn't get started. Long and short of it (and trust me, the long is REALLY long), I'm back at the freelancing grindstone for the time being. I'm actually not complaining though. I've managed to pull a lot of things together and should be getting a LOT more exposure as a result.
First off, I've started writing with the guys at Games Radar. I like the way things are put together there, and I'm hoping to be doing some semi-regular freelance work for them. Also, I've worked out a deal with the guys at All Games to help contribute to the news portion of their programming AND to be a somewhat of a regular on the radio show discussing the comic book industry, as well as the crossover projects between comics, video games, and even film. I'll be sure to let all of you know exactly when I start, but this is something to definitely look forward to.
Moving on, I've been expanding some of my work beyond the scope of writing and journalism. Some of this inculdes me getting involved more in the general entertainment industry. No, don't worry ... I haven't got any sort of acting bug. What I AM doing is trying to work with people within the entertainment industry to help "nudge" things in particular directions and work with some really talented people in the film industry. Yep, David's going multimedia ...
Anyway, so that's just the start of what's happening now. I have no idea where it'll all lead, but I'll be sure to keep everyone here posted.
Later,
David
First off, there was Comic-Con last week. I flew out there to produce some segments for Electric Playground and to cover the show for my newest freelancing home, Games Radar. Everything was crazy at the show, but definitely worthwhile. I put together a number of Comic of the Weeks segments for Electric Playground, which included interview pieces with: Paul Jenkins, Jim Palmiotti, Robert Kirkman, C.B. Cebulski, Justin Bleep, Cully Hamner, David Mack, Chris Gossett, Tim Seely, and a bunch of other fine comic folks.
Then there were some of the celebrity interviews. We got the cast of NBC's upcoming show Heroes (DEFINITELY on my "Must Watch" list this fall), Rosario Dawson, Brian Posehn, Rob Corddry, Stan Lee, Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard (creators of Home Movies), Jorge Garcia and Daniel Dae Kim from Lost, Billy West, and a whole lot more.
Let's not forget the video games ... Nintendo, Sony, Activision, Konami, Blizzard, Square-Enix, THQ, Warner Bros. Interactive, Vivendi-Universal, Capcom, and 2K Games were just a few of the companies showing off their wares at the show. I saw the latest from Justice League Heroes, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Naruto, The Darkness, Castlevania, Lost Planet, Spyro, and too many other games to list out. It was nuts ...
Oh, and lets not forget the events. There was a Naruto preview party, a Sony Online Block Party, and (one of the biggest events), the Marvel/Hasbro party. Again, just a crazy and chaotic adventure, all of which I'm barely scratching the surface of. There are stories of interesting rumors, chance meetings, production gaffes, and other sordid tales.
So, that obviously kept me busy ... but what else has been going on? Well, in case you missed the update, right after I "officially" started as Managing Editor at the new mag from the guys behind Play, things went into a holding pattern again and I couldn't get started. Long and short of it (and trust me, the long is REALLY long), I'm back at the freelancing grindstone for the time being. I'm actually not complaining though. I've managed to pull a lot of things together and should be getting a LOT more exposure as a result.
First off, I've started writing with the guys at Games Radar. I like the way things are put together there, and I'm hoping to be doing some semi-regular freelance work for them. Also, I've worked out a deal with the guys at All Games to help contribute to the news portion of their programming AND to be a somewhat of a regular on the radio show discussing the comic book industry, as well as the crossover projects between comics, video games, and even film. I'll be sure to let all of you know exactly when I start, but this is something to definitely look forward to.
Moving on, I've been expanding some of my work beyond the scope of writing and journalism. Some of this inculdes me getting involved more in the general entertainment industry. No, don't worry ... I haven't got any sort of acting bug. What I AM doing is trying to work with people within the entertainment industry to help "nudge" things in particular directions and work with some really talented people in the film industry. Yep, David's going multimedia ...
Anyway, so that's just the start of what's happening now. I have no idea where it'll all lead, but I'll be sure to keep everyone here posted.
Later,
David
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Independence weekend
Well, I've sufficiently recovered enough from the past few days to update everything Post-4th. Here goes:
Heroes was a great show. Better than I was expecting (at least for me). I spent a some time helping out Randy Green (artist on Witchblade, Tomb Raider, Emma Frost, etc.), and most of my time working the floor, catching up with a few old friends and meeting up with a lot of new ones.
On Saturday, Randy and I joined up with Ed McGuiness, Sanford Greene, Dexter Vines, and a few other folks at the Fox and Hound in Charlotte. Ed and I swapped video game tales, including some WoW war stories. Sanford and Dex shared some Dragon Con horror stories, and fun was had by all.
I also talked to Brandon Peterson and Mark Brooks about picking up some digital coloring techniques. For those of you that have followed the original blog at FanBased Media, you've seen my basic BASIC coloring skills. And if you haven't seen my coloring, a simple example is none other than my Avatar here.
The cliff notes for the rest of the show include setting up at least ten of the twenty five plus Comic of the Week segments to be filmed at San Diego. Meeting up w/ Joe Quesada for a quick Marvel rundown, bullshitting around w/ Paul Jenkins, talking to C.B. Cebulski about games, comics, and entertainment media working together, and other basic schmoozing and networking.
Getting back from the show meant getting ready to the 4th of July ... which ended up being a bit of a bust. The weather where I'm at has been miserable to say the least. Flash flood warnings, heavy wind ... hell, the other day my dad saw a tornado touch down in front of his car while he was at a stoplight. To quote hime, "I turned left and hauled ass. Didn't stop til I hit the house." So, no fireworks of any kind here ... though it did give me an opportunity to try and catch up on some writing work.
Anyway, that's the gist of the past few days for me ... what about all of you?
Heroes was a great show. Better than I was expecting (at least for me). I spent a some time helping out Randy Green (artist on Witchblade, Tomb Raider, Emma Frost, etc.), and most of my time working the floor, catching up with a few old friends and meeting up with a lot of new ones.
On Saturday, Randy and I joined up with Ed McGuiness, Sanford Greene, Dexter Vines, and a few other folks at the Fox and Hound in Charlotte. Ed and I swapped video game tales, including some WoW war stories. Sanford and Dex shared some Dragon Con horror stories, and fun was had by all.
I also talked to Brandon Peterson and Mark Brooks about picking up some digital coloring techniques. For those of you that have followed the original blog at FanBased Media, you've seen my basic BASIC coloring skills. And if you haven't seen my coloring, a simple example is none other than my Avatar here.
The cliff notes for the rest of the show include setting up at least ten of the twenty five plus Comic of the Week segments to be filmed at San Diego. Meeting up w/ Joe Quesada for a quick Marvel rundown, bullshitting around w/ Paul Jenkins, talking to C.B. Cebulski about games, comics, and entertainment media working together, and other basic schmoozing and networking.
Getting back from the show meant getting ready to the 4th of July ... which ended up being a bit of a bust. The weather where I'm at has been miserable to say the least. Flash flood warnings, heavy wind ... hell, the other day my dad saw a tornado touch down in front of his car while he was at a stoplight. To quote hime, "I turned left and hauled ass. Didn't stop til I hit the house." So, no fireworks of any kind here ... though it did give me an opportunity to try and catch up on some writing work.
Anyway, that's the gist of the past few days for me ... what about all of you?
Friday, June 30, 2006
Comic peeps and Superman
So, I'm in Charlotte now and checked in to the hotel. Randy and I met up with a bunch of other pros at a theatre to see a private showing of Superman Returns. It was cool seeing some of the usual suspects (Mike Wieringo, Cully Hamner, Craig Rousseau) and some of the not quite as usual suspects (Joe Quesada, C.B. Cebulski) ... and even some surprise special guests. In fact, I was lucky enough to sit behind Rosario Dawson and talk with her for a while before the show. It's definitely going to be a huge show ... and a busy one for yours truly.
As far as the movie goes ... it's hard for me to really gauge right now. There were some parts I liked a lot and some parts I couldn't stand. There were obvious cuts in the final version (one character who shows in the TV spots was cut completely), and some stuff just didn't make a lick of sense. If I had to give it a GameSpy-like score, I'd give it a 3 out of 5. Worth seeing for fans of the original movies. Comic fans may have some issues with it, but will still at least enjoy it in parts.
As far as the movie goes ... it's hard for me to really gauge right now. There were some parts I liked a lot and some parts I couldn't stand. There were obvious cuts in the final version (one character who shows in the TV spots was cut completely), and some stuff just didn't make a lick of sense. If I had to give it a GameSpy-like score, I'd give it a 3 out of 5. Worth seeing for fans of the original movies. Comic fans may have some issues with it, but will still at least enjoy it in parts.
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