So,... this week has been from Hell. I have no intention of avoiding a rant in this post, please move on if rants make you squeamish.
Anyway, I didn't really do anything fun for the weekend. I was busy studying for the 3 tests that I had this week... specifically for multivariable calc, since I got a poor grade on my first exam and was looking to make it up on this one. Unfortunately, it was not to be. My alarm malfunctioned Monday morning, and I slept through the exam. So, I didn't even get a chance to fail on my own. The universe did it for me. Now I'm guaranteed to fail the class, which will not only require me to retake it, but will delay my graduation by an entire semester as I cannot move on until I pass this class.
As you can imagine, that left me pissed, but life didn't end there. I've also learned this week that my grandmother has what appears to be advanced bone cancer, which means that the trip we took to visit her this last summer was probably the last time that I'll ever get to see her. I mean, she is old, and every time that I get to see her, I kind of worry that it might be the last time, but to have it confirmed like this is really depressing. Especially given that they only found the cancer doing emergency surgery after she fell and broke her hip.
But wait! There's more! While I feel ok about he stats test that I took today, I have another test in my statics class tomorrow night... that's right, night. My instructor doesn't feel like we have enough time to take a 26 question multiple choice test during our hour and a half class time, so he makes us come back at night to take the test in two hours instead. That means that I have to miss the new episode of the Big Bang Theory, which in addition to being one of my favorite shows, also happens to be the only show that CBS doesn't let you watch online afterwords!
Now, to top it all off, I've been stressing through a mid-college crisis: that is, I'm terrified because I'm beginning to realize that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I used to be really confident, I had it all planned out since middle school. I was going to be an engineer, get married, design the spacecraft that took people to Mars, and retire to huge house with my wife. Now there's not really a space program, I've been shot down for every date I've attempted for the last year, and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to do well in or enjoy any of my classes. The problem is, I hate every other option that's been presented to me, so I feel stuck where I'm at... (Really stuck after the calc debacle).
Maybe this would all be easier if I had someone to talk to. Don't get me wrong, I have great friends, but I don't have any that I feel like I could talk about this... or let me rephrase that... I don't have any that I feel like would want to hear it... That and I don't want to taint any of my friendships by complaining too much. I have such a hard time making friends, and I really don't want the ones I have to dislike me being around... I'm probably just paranoid, but either way, it hasn't helped this week.
At this point, I'm just praying that the airsoft game this weekend isn't too cold or wet for me to blow off all my stress.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
From the begining, you know the end...
Halo: Reach falls at midnight tonight. If you do not see or hear from me for the rest of the week, then you haven't checked X-Box Live yet. I'll be there destroying aliens and noobs.
See y'all when I eventually have to come out for food and water, or to do homework...(Ugg.)
See y'all when I eventually have to come out for food and water, or to do homework...(Ugg.)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
School...
Well, it's September. That means two things: first up, I'm back in school.
I'm finally back in Logan. Unfortunately, rather than rebuilding my bewildered social life, I'm doing homework... Lot's of homework. Thanks to my decision to take Statics, Statistics, Physics, and Multi-variable Calc, I'm up to my eyeballs in homework.
Fortunately, I'm a fairly dedicated person, so I think I'll be able to keep to a homework schedule that I've created to help me stay on top of things. That's really important for this week too, because I want to make sure that I'm a full week ahead on my homework by Monday night because...
Second thing: Halo Reach comes out next Tuesday! Thanks to my homework plans, I should be able to drop off the face of the earth for a few days straight without getting behind on anything. I should have the game thoroughly beaten by Friday, but I'm sure that it will continue to provide me with much entertainment over the next year until the new Ace Combat arrives...
In other, less preplanned news: my cell phone continues it's slow creep towards an ignominious death.Symptoms so far have included extraordinary lag in function, reduced battery life, the ability to ring, and then crash while not even turned on, and the ability to spontaneously change volume and ringer settings. Today's latest symptom: the back-light on the right side of the main LCD screen has gone out. Fortunately, the left back-light still works and illuminates the entire screen... it's just a lot darker on the right (*Not meant as a political commentary*). I managed to get all the phone numbers that I need to my SIM card, so if it finally dies I shouldn't lose too much. I just hope that it lasts 'till the Christmas deals start, so I can save a few bucks on the replacement.
I'm finally back in Logan. Unfortunately, rather than rebuilding my bewildered social life, I'm doing homework... Lot's of homework. Thanks to my decision to take Statics, Statistics, Physics, and Multi-variable Calc, I'm up to my eyeballs in homework.
Fortunately, I'm a fairly dedicated person, so I think I'll be able to keep to a homework schedule that I've created to help me stay on top of things. That's really important for this week too, because I want to make sure that I'm a full week ahead on my homework by Monday night because...
Second thing: Halo Reach comes out next Tuesday! Thanks to my homework plans, I should be able to drop off the face of the earth for a few days straight without getting behind on anything. I should have the game thoroughly beaten by Friday, but I'm sure that it will continue to provide me with much entertainment over the next year until the new Ace Combat arrives...
In other, less preplanned news: my cell phone continues it's slow creep towards an ignominious death.Symptoms so far have included extraordinary lag in function, reduced battery life, the ability to ring, and then crash while not even turned on, and the ability to spontaneously change volume and ringer settings. Today's latest symptom: the back-light on the right side of the main LCD screen has gone out. Fortunately, the left back-light still works and illuminates the entire screen... it's just a lot darker on the right (*Not meant as a political commentary*). I managed to get all the phone numbers that I need to my SIM card, so if it finally dies I shouldn't lose too much. I just hope that it lasts 'till the Christmas deals start, so I can save a few bucks on the replacement.
Friday, August 20, 2010
HAWX 2: First Impressions
Wow. Two posts in under a week! I'm on fire! Now if only I could update my physical journal that often...
Anyway, I checked Xbox Live, and found a demo for HAWX 2, and decided to check it out. The demo included two short missions, each with only one aircraft and loadout available. Unlike HAWX, HAWX 2 is divided into three campaigns, one for each major protagonist, namely the USA, the British, and the Russians. These campaigns will apparently intertwine as far as the story arc goes, but since the demo only included two missions I have no idea how well that is going to work out.
The first mission takes place from the Russian perspective in what I believe is and Su-27 (though I'm not sure, so don't quote me on the plane.). The plot opens and explains that the Russians have surrounded and are preparing to destroy a group of insurgents that has attempted a military take over of SW Russia. In a last desperate move, the insurgents have stolen several bombers from a nearby airbase, and have launched them against the loyalist forces. You're mission is to intercept, and stop the bombers. After ordering the bombers to change course, your squadron is ambushed by fighters flying low under the radar. Dog-fighting ensues.
The Dogfighting was about the same as HAWX. You can fly more traditional third person or first person simulation style, or you can enter 'limiters off' mode, and use the crazy (but insanely fun) unrestricted, offset third person angle. After swiftly shooting down all the enemy fighters and bombers, you learn that the insurgents have launched an all out surprise assault, and that you are needed elsewhere. Unfortunately, your squadron is to low on fuel to continue fighting. Oh, wait. Fuel isn't an issue as you must simply hook up to an aerial tanker to refill you tanks. While the game lays out a digital course in the sky for you to follow, and gives you hints, hooking up to the taker was a long, and tedious process. Once finally linked and fueled, it turns out that Moscow has panicked and ordered a full withdrawal, so you don't need to go fight anymore today after all, making the whole refueling fiasco an utterly unrewarding experience. More on this later.
The next mission takes place in South Africa from the American point of view. Launching from the deck of an aircraft carrier in an F-35, your mission is to seek out and destroy physical assets of a terrorist network operating just offshore of Capetown. The launch is a simple, but amusing addition to the game, but changes nothing as it takes no skill. Simply hold down the throttle and pull up when given clearance to launch. Almost idiot proof. However, once at altitude, we get to play with an excellent new feature: Precision Bombing mode. When activated, you aircraft locks onto its current heading and autopilot takes over, leaving you free to zoom in on the ground and designate targets for your bombs. You get to practice on some terrorist affiliated container ships. This mode isn't difficult, but it does take concentration to keep everything lined up while your plane continues to move. Despite the simple system, I managed to miss one of the giant boats. Silly me.
Once you kill all the boats, you get to shoot down a couple enemy Helicopters operating in the area. Despite my best efforts, I never did manage to drop a bomb on them (though I came awful close...) and in the end, I had to fly in low and use my cannon. It was a little touchy operating so close to the ground, but fun nonetheless. Oh, I should also mention that the whole mission takes place at night, so you're using a night vision system too, something that was badly needed a couple of times in the first HAWX.
After you kill the helos, you get to go back to bombing mode and blow up the enemy airfield, and then shoot down a couple planes that fly in to defend their base. The last dogfight was probably the hardest part of the combat mission, as your only other weapon besides your bombs is you your cannon. Again though, it wasn't so hard that you wanted to quit. It was challengingly fun.
Unfortunately, this mission also ended with a tedious new feature, landing on the aircraft carrier. While not quite as time consuming or difficult as lining up for refueling, it was still way to tedious for almost no reward.
So, my impressions of the game are mixed. While it appears that all of the good things from the first HAWX have been preserved in HAWX 2, not all the new features compliment them very well. While the new night vision systems and precision bombing modes are fun and add to the arcade style combat, the new refueling and landing gimmicks totally ruined both missions they were in. They were time consuming (using up over half the time spent on each mission), and horribly tedious, with one mistake forcing you to abort and start all over. In other words, they weren't fun at all.
Unfortunately however, Ubisoft has given into the bashing of a view over-voiced Ace Combat fans, and added these gimmicks to make the game more 'realistic,' which, if the demo is any indication, runs the risk of ruining the whole experience. The HAWX series was never intended to be a simulator. It was intended to be a console based, arcade style dogfighting game, with almost constant, intense action. Yes, I know real life refueling and landing is difficult and tedious, but real life pilots also spend up the six hours after take off just getting to the fight! That doesn't mean that I want that in my game.
You can watch some footage of the demo here:
Overall, I remain cautiously optimistic. Since the core arcade style dogfighting is intact, the game should be mostly fun, as long as the crappy new simulation gimmicks haven't been overused. One thing this demo didn't give any clue about was multiplayer. The lack of useful multiplayer is what killed the first HAWX. Hopefully that hasn't been overlooked this time around.
If you don't like arcade style, and really want more simulation in your dogfighting games, then I'd recommend waiting a year for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.
Anyway, I checked Xbox Live, and found a demo for HAWX 2, and decided to check it out. The demo included two short missions, each with only one aircraft and loadout available. Unlike HAWX, HAWX 2 is divided into three campaigns, one for each major protagonist, namely the USA, the British, and the Russians. These campaigns will apparently intertwine as far as the story arc goes, but since the demo only included two missions I have no idea how well that is going to work out.
The first mission takes place from the Russian perspective in what I believe is and Su-27 (though I'm not sure, so don't quote me on the plane.). The plot opens and explains that the Russians have surrounded and are preparing to destroy a group of insurgents that has attempted a military take over of SW Russia. In a last desperate move, the insurgents have stolen several bombers from a nearby airbase, and have launched them against the loyalist forces. You're mission is to intercept, and stop the bombers. After ordering the bombers to change course, your squadron is ambushed by fighters flying low under the radar. Dog-fighting ensues.
The Dogfighting was about the same as HAWX. You can fly more traditional third person or first person simulation style, or you can enter 'limiters off' mode, and use the crazy (but insanely fun) unrestricted, offset third person angle. After swiftly shooting down all the enemy fighters and bombers, you learn that the insurgents have launched an all out surprise assault, and that you are needed elsewhere. Unfortunately, your squadron is to low on fuel to continue fighting. Oh, wait. Fuel isn't an issue as you must simply hook up to an aerial tanker to refill you tanks. While the game lays out a digital course in the sky for you to follow, and gives you hints, hooking up to the taker was a long, and tedious process. Once finally linked and fueled, it turns out that Moscow has panicked and ordered a full withdrawal, so you don't need to go fight anymore today after all, making the whole refueling fiasco an utterly unrewarding experience. More on this later.
The next mission takes place in South Africa from the American point of view. Launching from the deck of an aircraft carrier in an F-35, your mission is to seek out and destroy physical assets of a terrorist network operating just offshore of Capetown. The launch is a simple, but amusing addition to the game, but changes nothing as it takes no skill. Simply hold down the throttle and pull up when given clearance to launch. Almost idiot proof. However, once at altitude, we get to play with an excellent new feature: Precision Bombing mode. When activated, you aircraft locks onto its current heading and autopilot takes over, leaving you free to zoom in on the ground and designate targets for your bombs. You get to practice on some terrorist affiliated container ships. This mode isn't difficult, but it does take concentration to keep everything lined up while your plane continues to move. Despite the simple system, I managed to miss one of the giant boats. Silly me.
Once you kill all the boats, you get to shoot down a couple enemy Helicopters operating in the area. Despite my best efforts, I never did manage to drop a bomb on them (though I came awful close...) and in the end, I had to fly in low and use my cannon. It was a little touchy operating so close to the ground, but fun nonetheless. Oh, I should also mention that the whole mission takes place at night, so you're using a night vision system too, something that was badly needed a couple of times in the first HAWX.
After you kill the helos, you get to go back to bombing mode and blow up the enemy airfield, and then shoot down a couple planes that fly in to defend their base. The last dogfight was probably the hardest part of the combat mission, as your only other weapon besides your bombs is you your cannon. Again though, it wasn't so hard that you wanted to quit. It was challengingly fun.
Unfortunately, this mission also ended with a tedious new feature, landing on the aircraft carrier. While not quite as time consuming or difficult as lining up for refueling, it was still way to tedious for almost no reward.
So, my impressions of the game are mixed. While it appears that all of the good things from the first HAWX have been preserved in HAWX 2, not all the new features compliment them very well. While the new night vision systems and precision bombing modes are fun and add to the arcade style combat, the new refueling and landing gimmicks totally ruined both missions they were in. They were time consuming (using up over half the time spent on each mission), and horribly tedious, with one mistake forcing you to abort and start all over. In other words, they weren't fun at all.
Unfortunately however, Ubisoft has given into the bashing of a view over-voiced Ace Combat fans, and added these gimmicks to make the game more 'realistic,' which, if the demo is any indication, runs the risk of ruining the whole experience. The HAWX series was never intended to be a simulator. It was intended to be a console based, arcade style dogfighting game, with almost constant, intense action. Yes, I know real life refueling and landing is difficult and tedious, but real life pilots also spend up the six hours after take off just getting to the fight! That doesn't mean that I want that in my game.
You can watch some footage of the demo here:
Overall, I remain cautiously optimistic. Since the core arcade style dogfighting is intact, the game should be mostly fun, as long as the crappy new simulation gimmicks haven't been overused. One thing this demo didn't give any clue about was multiplayer. The lack of useful multiplayer is what killed the first HAWX. Hopefully that hasn't been overlooked this time around.
If you don't like arcade style, and really want more simulation in your dogfighting games, then I'd recommend waiting a year for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
More Suprises...
Wow. Bungie has really gone all out on Halo Reach. Since the last time I posted, they've revealed two really cool things:
First up is the redesigned Forge system in Halo Reach called Forge2.0. It's a significantly inproved version of the Halo 3 Forge. They took most of the 'tricks' (glitches) that players were using to accomplish they're goals (such as getting objects to float in the air) and made them tools for the community.
They also announced Forge World, an absolutely giant, blank multiplayer map designed specifically for building custom maps in Forge2.0. The game will also ship with remakes of Blood Gulch, and Accession that were built in Forge World.
Here is the Video:
I've already got a few crazy ideas for new maps churning in my mind. Also, this seems to have excited several of my friends who are not actually Halo fans, but just want to have the chance to build their own maps. This is going to be a vital mutliplayer feature in the game.
Next up is a new campaign trailer. It doesn't reveal too much new info, but does help make the campaign look epic!
The most recent trailer, just out this week, gives us a bit more spoilers however. The bulk of it echos info previously revealed about Noble Team, narrated by a new, yet familiar voice:
Spoiler Alert! Don't read more until you've watched the video above (unless you're not a Halo fan and don't care):
The woman narrating this trailer is none other than Dr. Catherine Halsey, the women responsible for creating the Spartan-II Soldiers. It was also her brain that was scanned to create Cortana, which is why Cortana looks and sounds like a younger version of her. She is talking to someone off camera, whom we can infer is the new AI Auntie Dot. We can tell Auntie Dot is involved as her only known avatar is seen frequently throughout the trailer, and prominently at the very end, right after Halsey shuts down the control panel for the last time. Halsey seems to be giving her a choice as to which member of Noble Team will carry her on their next mission, just as she let Cortana choose which of the Spartan-IIs would carry her (she choose the Master Chief, if you couldn't guess.)
However, the inclusion of Halsey raises some crazy questions about the games capmpaign plot. Specifically, every member of Noble Team (except Jorge) is a Spartan-III, but in the novel Ghosts of Onyx, it is stated that Halsey didn't find out about he Spartan-III program until after Reach falls.
This may be Bungie's most obvious action yet to imply that the novels, while awesome, are not hard 'cannon' material. That would suit me just fine. I've enjoyed the books, but have been annoyed with the many conflicts they seem to introduce into the storyline. However, I shouldn't be surprised by that. The novels were managed by Microsoft's 343 Industries, not Bungie.
Oh well. This just increases my excitement to play the campaign and find out what the heck is going on.
In other non-Halo news, H.A.W.X. 2 is coming out a week before Reach. HAWX was a fun game. There wasn't any strong storyline, and the multiplayer suffered a lot due to the lack of a matchmaking system (Those of us with small friends lists can't live without matchmaking!), but it was just really fun. Pretty much like an arcade game.
Hopefully, this one will be as fun. All my gaming money is tied up in Reach, but hopefully I can find one used at Gamestop and trade in my copy of HAWX towards it to bring to price down a bit more.
First up is the redesigned Forge system in Halo Reach called Forge2.0. It's a significantly inproved version of the Halo 3 Forge. They took most of the 'tricks' (glitches) that players were using to accomplish they're goals (such as getting objects to float in the air) and made them tools for the community.
They also announced Forge World, an absolutely giant, blank multiplayer map designed specifically for building custom maps in Forge2.0. The game will also ship with remakes of Blood Gulch, and Accession that were built in Forge World.
Here is the Video:
I've already got a few crazy ideas for new maps churning in my mind. Also, this seems to have excited several of my friends who are not actually Halo fans, but just want to have the chance to build their own maps. This is going to be a vital mutliplayer feature in the game.
Next up is a new campaign trailer. It doesn't reveal too much new info, but does help make the campaign look epic!
The most recent trailer, just out this week, gives us a bit more spoilers however. The bulk of it echos info previously revealed about Noble Team, narrated by a new, yet familiar voice:
Spoiler Alert! Don't read more until you've watched the video above (unless you're not a Halo fan and don't care):
The woman narrating this trailer is none other than Dr. Catherine Halsey, the women responsible for creating the Spartan-II Soldiers. It was also her brain that was scanned to create Cortana, which is why Cortana looks and sounds like a younger version of her. She is talking to someone off camera, whom we can infer is the new AI Auntie Dot. We can tell Auntie Dot is involved as her only known avatar is seen frequently throughout the trailer, and prominently at the very end, right after Halsey shuts down the control panel for the last time. Halsey seems to be giving her a choice as to which member of Noble Team will carry her on their next mission, just as she let Cortana choose which of the Spartan-IIs would carry her (she choose the Master Chief, if you couldn't guess.)
However, the inclusion of Halsey raises some crazy questions about the games capmpaign plot. Specifically, every member of Noble Team (except Jorge) is a Spartan-III, but in the novel Ghosts of Onyx, it is stated that Halsey didn't find out about he Spartan-III program until after Reach falls.
This may be Bungie's most obvious action yet to imply that the novels, while awesome, are not hard 'cannon' material. That would suit me just fine. I've enjoyed the books, but have been annoyed with the many conflicts they seem to introduce into the storyline. However, I shouldn't be surprised by that. The novels were managed by Microsoft's 343 Industries, not Bungie.
Oh well. This just increases my excitement to play the campaign and find out what the heck is going on.
/Spoilers
In other non-Halo news, H.A.W.X. 2 is coming out a week before Reach. HAWX was a fun game. There wasn't any strong storyline, and the multiplayer suffered a lot due to the lack of a matchmaking system (Those of us with small friends lists can't live without matchmaking!), but it was just really fun. Pretty much like an arcade game.
Hopefully, this one will be as fun. All my gaming money is tied up in Reach, but hopefully I can find one used at Gamestop and trade in my copy of HAWX towards it to bring to price down a bit more.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
My Gargoyles
I like action figures. I like setting them up in poses around my room and letting them act as modern gargoyles. (Yes, I'm a nerd.) Unfortunately, they cost money, and I have a hard time justifying letting go of cash for something that will look cool, but spend the rest of its life on my shelf in an epic pose. As a result, I have many fewer than I would like.
I intend to change that a bit more this year though. I've decided to bite the debit card and collect some of the Halo: Reach action figures that McFarlane Toys will release along with the epic game of the same name. Not all of them of course, that would be way too much money. However, I would like to get all six members of Noble team, as well as a few covenant figs to pose fighting them (mostly elite permutations). Also, if I start now, I can buy the figs as they're released, instead of all at once, making the price easier to swallow a bit at a time.
Of course, here is the frustration, McFarlane is making an exclusive figure called 'Noble 7' available at Comic-Con next weekend, and only at Comic-Con. Here is a pic:
Saturday, June 19, 2010
X-Box360-'S' Review:
Well, I gave in and traded in my 20GB X-Box360 model for the new X-Box360-S 250GB model. So, I'll go ahead and give a quick review of my impressions.
First, I owe my father big time. He went and traded in my old system at Gamestop and picked up the new one for me while I was at work. The location he went to only got six systems, and they were sold out before the UPS guy was back out the door. I wouldn't have one to review if not for that favor.
Ok, I got home from work and proceeded to open up the box. I was rewarded with the shiny black finish of the new system. While not as tiny as other 'slim' systems, it is noticeably smaller than the original 360 models. The system also boosts a more angular hourglass shape as opposed to the original curves. A large vent is now present on the Side/top of the unit, giving ventilation to a 4" Fan. The buttons on the front of the counsel have been replaced by touch-sensitive units. They're silver, sexy, and very sensitive. I think that I accidentally opened the DVD tray 10 times while hooking up the system. That's what I get for hooking up the power before anything else though I guess.
As I went through the box, I found a black wireless controller, a black headset, a power brick (also much smaller than the original generation of power bricks), and a set of SD Component Cables...
That's right, only SD cables were included. This was a severe drawback for me right away. I have an older stereo and can only get sound to it if I use component. I also didn't have an extra HDMI cable, so I literally couldn't hook up to my HDTV out of the box. Seems Microsoft didn't think that anyone still used the HD Component cables, and had all upgraded to HDMI. Fortunately the interface for the components on the back of the box is still the same, so I was able to acquire a set of the HD cables from Gamestop and get everything up and running.
The 250GB hard drive is still swappable even though it is now stored inside the counsel. Half of the vent on the counsel's base/side (depending on whether you set it vertical/horizontal) pops off, and the drive bay is revealed. The drive then slides in or out using a friction fit to stay put.
While the system claims no major stat upgrades (still just 512MB of RAM and such) it does have a new combination CPU/GPU. This seems to have produced a better processor, as the system booted up much faster than my old unit. The new fan and DVD drive are VERY quiet. In face, I can't even hear it when it's idling. The new fan also moves much more air than the old units. I can actually feel the hot air venting from the system, which I could not do on my old system.
The Built in WiFi-N works like a charm. I got great connection and speeds through my router. I'll continue to use my Ethernet when available, but the WiFi will come in very handy in places where that isn't an option, like my living room, or many of the apartments at college.
The system comes with the NXE dashboard preinstalled.
As far as the rest of the system goes, it runs just the same as the older models (which is no surprise considering that the new models are all hardware upgrades...). So, I'm fairly impressed for what I was expecting. However, the fact is that while the hardware is nice and new and convenient, it is still an X-Box360.
One last note, this box has a dedicated Kinect port for the Kinect motion control system coming out on Nov. 4. This port will allow you to plug you Kinect unit into the box and go, as opposed to smaller systems, which cannot supply enough power via USB to run Kinect. They will have to use an adapter to run on older models. That's all I'll say on this though, as I'm still not sure I'll ever invest in a Kinect unit.
So, in summary, the new X-Box360-S is a sleek upgrade to the Xbox family, and certainly promises to counter some the 360s notorious hardware issues. However, if your current system is working, your Hard Drive isn't full, and you won't ever need WiFi, then it's really not worth the upgrade. However, if you're planning to buy a WiFi adapter, or upgrade your Hard Drive, then it might be worth your consideration to upgrade to the new 'S' model.
For example, my system had given the red ring twice this year (I got it to come back after letting it cool off), my Hard Drive was full (I had go delete some stuff to make room for the Reach beta in May), and there is a good chance that I'll not have Ethernet access at my apartment at college; WiFi only available. So, Hard Drive upgrade (only to 120GB) = $120, WiFi adapter = $100, and my system will still probably die within the year. However, if I take advantage of Gamestop's trade-up offer, I get $130 store credit by trading in my old system, and then spend $170 to complete the purchase of the 'S' model. So, I save $50 and get a unit that should be much more reliable. That was a win for me.
Like I said though, the wisdom in upgrading to an 'S' model will depend greatly on your circumstances. I won't call the 'S' model a must have upgrade, but I won't call it a rip-off either.
So, Pros:
-WiFi-N
-250GB HDD
-Kinect Port
-Smaller, Sexier Looks
-Better cooling system
-Quiet... Very Quiet.
Cons:
-No real noticeable performance upgrade.
-Shiny finish shows off all my finger prints.
-Only SD cables included.
First, I owe my father big time. He went and traded in my old system at Gamestop and picked up the new one for me while I was at work. The location he went to only got six systems, and they were sold out before the UPS guy was back out the door. I wouldn't have one to review if not for that favor.
Ok, I got home from work and proceeded to open up the box. I was rewarded with the shiny black finish of the new system. While not as tiny as other 'slim' systems, it is noticeably smaller than the original 360 models. The system also boosts a more angular hourglass shape as opposed to the original curves. A large vent is now present on the Side/top of the unit, giving ventilation to a 4" Fan. The buttons on the front of the counsel have been replaced by touch-sensitive units. They're silver, sexy, and very sensitive. I think that I accidentally opened the DVD tray 10 times while hooking up the system. That's what I get for hooking up the power before anything else though I guess.
As I went through the box, I found a black wireless controller, a black headset, a power brick (also much smaller than the original generation of power bricks), and a set of SD Component Cables...
That's right, only SD cables were included. This was a severe drawback for me right away. I have an older stereo and can only get sound to it if I use component. I also didn't have an extra HDMI cable, so I literally couldn't hook up to my HDTV out of the box. Seems Microsoft didn't think that anyone still used the HD Component cables, and had all upgraded to HDMI. Fortunately the interface for the components on the back of the box is still the same, so I was able to acquire a set of the HD cables from Gamestop and get everything up and running.
The 250GB hard drive is still swappable even though it is now stored inside the counsel. Half of the vent on the counsel's base/side (depending on whether you set it vertical/horizontal) pops off, and the drive bay is revealed. The drive then slides in or out using a friction fit to stay put.
While the system claims no major stat upgrades (still just 512MB of RAM and such) it does have a new combination CPU/GPU. This seems to have produced a better processor, as the system booted up much faster than my old unit. The new fan and DVD drive are VERY quiet. In face, I can't even hear it when it's idling. The new fan also moves much more air than the old units. I can actually feel the hot air venting from the system, which I could not do on my old system.
The Built in WiFi-N works like a charm. I got great connection and speeds through my router. I'll continue to use my Ethernet when available, but the WiFi will come in very handy in places where that isn't an option, like my living room, or many of the apartments at college.
The system comes with the NXE dashboard preinstalled.
As far as the rest of the system goes, it runs just the same as the older models (which is no surprise considering that the new models are all hardware upgrades...). So, I'm fairly impressed for what I was expecting. However, the fact is that while the hardware is nice and new and convenient, it is still an X-Box360.
One last note, this box has a dedicated Kinect port for the Kinect motion control system coming out on Nov. 4. This port will allow you to plug you Kinect unit into the box and go, as opposed to smaller systems, which cannot supply enough power via USB to run Kinect. They will have to use an adapter to run on older models. That's all I'll say on this though, as I'm still not sure I'll ever invest in a Kinect unit.
So, in summary, the new X-Box360-S is a sleek upgrade to the Xbox family, and certainly promises to counter some the 360s notorious hardware issues. However, if your current system is working, your Hard Drive isn't full, and you won't ever need WiFi, then it's really not worth the upgrade. However, if you're planning to buy a WiFi adapter, or upgrade your Hard Drive, then it might be worth your consideration to upgrade to the new 'S' model.
For example, my system had given the red ring twice this year (I got it to come back after letting it cool off), my Hard Drive was full (I had go delete some stuff to make room for the Reach beta in May), and there is a good chance that I'll not have Ethernet access at my apartment at college; WiFi only available. So, Hard Drive upgrade (only to 120GB) = $120, WiFi adapter = $100, and my system will still probably die within the year. However, if I take advantage of Gamestop's trade-up offer, I get $130 store credit by trading in my old system, and then spend $170 to complete the purchase of the 'S' model. So, I save $50 and get a unit that should be much more reliable. That was a win for me.
Like I said though, the wisdom in upgrading to an 'S' model will depend greatly on your circumstances. I won't call the 'S' model a must have upgrade, but I won't call it a rip-off either.
So, Pros:
-WiFi-N
-250GB HDD
-Kinect Port
-Smaller, Sexier Looks
-Better cooling system
-Quiet... Very Quiet.
Cons:
-No real noticeable performance upgrade.
-Shiny finish shows off all my finger prints.
-Only SD cables included.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Nerdgasm
Today at E3, Bungie and Microsoft released a new trailer for Halo: Reach.
I'm a major Halo fan, and was looking forward to this game for addition to the story line alone. However, I admit that my excitement this time around wasn't nearly what it was for say, Halo 2, or Halo 3. In this case, the lack of excitement was compounded by my participation in the Beta test for Reach's multiplayer back in May. Don't get me wrong, the Beta was awesome, and confirmed that it will be a game worth playing, but it took away a bit from the anticipation of new gameplay.
This trailer totally restored all of that anticipation however. SPOILER WARNING! Watch the Trailer before reading the rest of this post! Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure:
Did you see it? If your not a Halo fan, you probably didn't notice, but the fans probably did. For the first time in a Halo game, we'll be able to explore space combat in the Halo universe! Space combat in Halo has been well established in the fiction (IE the game dialog, and in the novels and comics), however, it hasn't really been shown on screen before (the view from Cairo Station's windows in Halo 2 didn't really cut for me...), let alone been playable. Reach is going to remedy that situation, and it looks awesome. This trailer has defiantly rekindled my excitement for this game.
So, in summary: Space Combat is coming to Halo. Nerds everywhere rejoice. /Spoilers
In other X-Box360 news from the first day of E3: Project Natal is officially the Kinect Motion/Voice controller, and will be available this November. Still no word on the price, but we can guess it will probably be in the $100 range.
Also available this year, a new 'Slim' X-box360. It will feature a more angular shape, more powerful and quieter fans, built in Wi-Fi (no more $100 adapters), 5 USB ports as well as a dedicated Kinect port, and an internal 250GB Hard Drive (looks like MS is dumping the funny externals used by the current counsels, though this one is supposed to still be swappable... not sure how that's going to work). It looks slick enough that I may trade in my current 20GB model towards one of these new ones when they become available. Here's a pic:
Well, that's it for my longest update in months. Enjoy.
I'm a major Halo fan, and was looking forward to this game for addition to the story line alone. However, I admit that my excitement this time around wasn't nearly what it was for say, Halo 2, or Halo 3. In this case, the lack of excitement was compounded by my participation in the Beta test for Reach's multiplayer back in May. Don't get me wrong, the Beta was awesome, and confirmed that it will be a game worth playing, but it took away a bit from the anticipation of new gameplay.
This trailer totally restored all of that anticipation however. SPOILER WARNING! Watch the Trailer before reading the rest of this post! Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure:
Did you see it? If your not a Halo fan, you probably didn't notice, but the fans probably did. For the first time in a Halo game, we'll be able to explore space combat in the Halo universe! Space combat in Halo has been well established in the fiction (IE the game dialog, and in the novels and comics), however, it hasn't really been shown on screen before (the view from Cairo Station's windows in Halo 2 didn't really cut for me...), let alone been playable. Reach is going to remedy that situation, and it looks awesome. This trailer has defiantly rekindled my excitement for this game.
So, in summary: Space Combat is coming to Halo. Nerds everywhere rejoice. /Spoilers
In other X-Box360 news from the first day of E3: Project Natal is officially the Kinect Motion/Voice controller, and will be available this November. Still no word on the price, but we can guess it will probably be in the $100 range.
Also available this year, a new 'Slim' X-box360. It will feature a more angular shape, more powerful and quieter fans, built in Wi-Fi (no more $100 adapters), 5 USB ports as well as a dedicated Kinect port, and an internal 250GB Hard Drive (looks like MS is dumping the funny externals used by the current counsels, though this one is supposed to still be swappable... not sure how that's going to work). It looks slick enough that I may trade in my current 20GB model towards one of these new ones when they become available. Here's a pic:
Well, that's it for my longest update in months. Enjoy.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
23
Today is my Birthday. I'm 23. Yippee!
Actually, it's made me feel kinda old for no reason at all.
Oh well. I still get shrimp for dinner. Mmmm.....
Actually, it's made me feel kinda old for no reason at all.
Oh well. I still get shrimp for dinner. Mmmm.....
Monday, June 7, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Guns...
Ok, here is the deal: My dad had a bunch of extra ammunition that needed shooting. So we both took the afternoon off of work yesterday and went to a local shooting range. It's the first time he's been shooting in about 10 years. We were there for an hour and a half or so, and managed to shoot off 1000 rounds or so between his Winchester pump .22, and his Ruger 10/.22, as well as another 20 rounds or so through his 7.62 Deer Rifle. I capped off the day by shelling out to shoot the ranges .50 Cal Barrett M82 a couple of times. That was an experience.
Anyway, the point it that I forgot how much fun shooting can be, even though it's only been since the Fall that I last went. Which brings me to my latest goal for this year: I want to buy my own gun. Every time I go, I'm either borrowing from my Dad, or from my roommates. While they don't mind, I think I want to have my own.
So, now the analysis begins. What do I want? Well, most of the time, I'm just going to be plinking in the mountains or at a range, so I want something that doesn't cost too much for ammo and isn't real heavy. The answer: .22 Cal! Ya, it's not big, but that's not what I'm going for... I need economy.
The next question that I haven't answered yet is whether I want a rifle, or a pistol. Both have trade offs. A rifle would be more accurate, and I love my dad's Ruger 10/.22. Reliable, and accessories are cheap. However, I would have to buy a strong box or lockable case to put it in while I'm living away from home, and wouldn't be able to pack it when I get a concealed carry permit. A pistol on the other hand, I could keep in the safe that I already have, and I could carry it with my permit. However, I'd have no accuracy at distance.
I'm leaning towards a pistol, as it is the one type of gun the my dad doesn't have. I can still borrow his rifles and shotgun if I ever want them, and I'll still have access to my pistol and its benefits...
So, now what kind of pistol? I could a normal semi-auto design like a P22 or such, or I could get a revolver. I was at Sportsman's Warehouse today, and they had a Taurus .22LR revolver that I really liked. It's available with a 4", or 6" barrel. Both versions are all Stainless Steel and hold ten rounds. Both are also double action, so I could still put out all ten shots in a short amount of time, just like a P22. Combine all that with the fact that revolvers are just so easy to maintain, and I'm really tempted.
There are benefits to a P22 though. You can get extra mags, which lowers the amount of time that you have to spend in between bursts... though I might be able to get extra drums for the revolver too... I'd have to check on that. The P22 is also a bit more compact and easier to conceal should I desire to. I can also get extended mags for the pistol that hold more than ten rounds, where that will never be an option with the revolver.
So, now you have my case. Looks like I've talked myself into a .22 pistol. I just need to decide if it will be a P22 or a revolver. Of course, there is cost to consider. Any of the options that I've just discussed will end up running me between $300 and $400. While I did just make that much working this week, I still have to pay for tuition this fall. We'll just have to see how this summer (and my Birthday...) work out.
Anyway, the point it that I forgot how much fun shooting can be, even though it's only been since the Fall that I last went. Which brings me to my latest goal for this year: I want to buy my own gun. Every time I go, I'm either borrowing from my Dad, or from my roommates. While they don't mind, I think I want to have my own.
So, now the analysis begins. What do I want? Well, most of the time, I'm just going to be plinking in the mountains or at a range, so I want something that doesn't cost too much for ammo and isn't real heavy. The answer: .22 Cal! Ya, it's not big, but that's not what I'm going for... I need economy.
The next question that I haven't answered yet is whether I want a rifle, or a pistol. Both have trade offs. A rifle would be more accurate, and I love my dad's Ruger 10/.22. Reliable, and accessories are cheap. However, I would have to buy a strong box or lockable case to put it in while I'm living away from home, and wouldn't be able to pack it when I get a concealed carry permit. A pistol on the other hand, I could keep in the safe that I already have, and I could carry it with my permit. However, I'd have no accuracy at distance.
I'm leaning towards a pistol, as it is the one type of gun the my dad doesn't have. I can still borrow his rifles and shotgun if I ever want them, and I'll still have access to my pistol and its benefits...
So, now what kind of pistol? I could a normal semi-auto design like a P22 or such, or I could get a revolver. I was at Sportsman's Warehouse today, and they had a Taurus .22LR revolver that I really liked. It's available with a 4", or 6" barrel. Both versions are all Stainless Steel and hold ten rounds. Both are also double action, so I could still put out all ten shots in a short amount of time, just like a P22. Combine all that with the fact that revolvers are just so easy to maintain, and I'm really tempted.
There are benefits to a P22 though. You can get extra mags, which lowers the amount of time that you have to spend in between bursts... though I might be able to get extra drums for the revolver too... I'd have to check on that. The P22 is also a bit more compact and easier to conceal should I desire to. I can also get extended mags for the pistol that hold more than ten rounds, where that will never be an option with the revolver.
So, now you have my case. Looks like I've talked myself into a .22 pistol. I just need to decide if it will be a P22 or a revolver. Of course, there is cost to consider. Any of the options that I've just discussed will end up running me between $300 and $400. While I did just make that much working this week, I still have to pay for tuition this fall. We'll just have to see how this summer (and my Birthday...) work out.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Boring.
Well, I suppose you can tell when I'm really bored, because that's when I actually update this blog. That's ok though, since I'm pretty sure no one is reading it.
Anyway, it's Spring Break all this week. I get to work tomorrow, but after that I have nothing to do... so there may be a few updates on other things going on in my life. Again, it's boring, so most of it will be totally uninteresting to most people. In fact, some may even lose respect for me... but I doubt it. Again, I'm pretty sure no one is reading right now. So it's ok.
Anyway, it's Spring Break all this week. I get to work tomorrow, but after that I have nothing to do... so there may be a few updates on other things going on in my life. Again, it's boring, so most of it will be totally uninteresting to most people. In fact, some may even lose respect for me... but I doubt it. Again, I'm pretty sure no one is reading right now. So it's ok.
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