Windows Vista not Coping OS X Tiger

A buddy pointed this video out for me: Apparently, a lot of people are criticizing Windows Vista for coping Mac OS X Tiger, however according to David Pogue at The New York Times, this clearly isn't the case.

Watch his case by case comparison video here.

Well that settles it for me. As if Microsoft would ever copy anything from anyone else. Please.

Note: I've had a bunch of issues getting the above link to work. If you experience issues, go here and follow these steps:

1) Click "Technology" under the Channels column on the left
2) Click "David Pogue"
3) Click the video for Windows Vista David Pogue's Review

You'll most likely see a short ad first before the actual review.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Cinematic Trailer

I was writing this somewhat lengthy post about Blizzard Entertainment and their recently released Cinematic Trailer for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade when Firefox 2 crashed on me and I lost everything I typed.

I'm not going to bother typing it all again, so I'll give you the short version:

- Blizzard Entertainment = Cash whores
- PC gaming = Heavily declined
- Warcraft storyline = De-evolved into soap opera stupidity

That is all.

Year End Awards Revision

It's coming up to the end of the year, which means in the next week or so it's time for my Year End Awards. Typically I do Games, Movies (Theatrical), and DVDs (I don't do music since my tastes are so specific as to be rather limited), however this year I'm encountering a rather large problem.

You see, I called it. 2006 has been a dud year for media. I've looked over everything I did this year, and while I normally do a Top 3 award list for each category, I've only acquired 2 games this year that have been released in 2006 (and both are fun enough but nothing ground breaking) and I've only seen two flicks in theatres, one of which was great the other which disappointed me.

I did purchase 3+ DVD's though, so I can do my DVD awards proper.

Anyway, due to the fact that I can't do my regular awards properly, I'm going to change things up a bit. Instead, I'm going to do a top three anticipated games for 2007 and perhaps I'll do an awards bit for the top three titles I've played that I've missed out on when they were released.

For movies, I'll do a top three films in general, including flicks I rented.

Seriously, 2006 was such a blah year for media, though I did find it good for books; got a lot of reading done. A lot of reading. So much so now that I think of it, perhaps I'll do a top three books as well, perhaps.

Anyway, at least 2007 looks to be very promising indeed.

Tim Horton's Conspiracy

Damn you Tim Horton's, I know you're plotting against me! Almost every time I randomly go to one of your establishments, you're out of chicken noodle soup. Yeah, that's right, you're blooming soup!

Yeah, I'm on to your little game! No one else has this problem, which means you're just out to get me, aren't you!

I mean, what'd I ever do to you, huh? Was it about that time I made a stink over the Boston Cream Donut that had no cream in it! Well? Was it?!? The donut's supposed to have cream in it, just like you're supposed to have chicken noodle soup!

You're open 24 hours, dammit, so if I stumble in at 3:00 am half drunk and looking for a bowl of soup, you should be able to provide for your customer!

Curse you Tim Horton's, curse you to the vile pits of Hell.

...

So I'll see you next week for a donut, right?

BioShock Official Site Launched, New Trailer, and Release Window

The official site for Irrational Game's upcoming FPS/RPG BioShock has been launched, and it features a new trailer that states the game's release window.

We can expect to get our grubby little hands on this anticipated title in Spring of 2007 for Xbox 360 and PC, about 6 months sooner than I expected!

In addition to the new trailer, the site features some new screenshots, a bit more story info, and a little virtual tour of parts of Rapture (I have yet to check this out).

I'm looking forward to this title even more than Mass Effect, for such is the fondness that I remember System Shock 2. So close and yet so far... 2006 has really been a dud year for gaming, but 2007 is looking to be filled with some very promising titles.

Halo 3 Documentary to be Released by Bungie Week of the 18th

There's been some rumours going around this week, so in their Weekly Update, Bungie has laid everything to rest.

1) There will be a new documentary for Halo 3 released the week of the 18th of Xbox Live Marketplace as well as online. Apparently, those interested in the Campaign (like me) will find it very interesting.

2) Brutes are not going to be a playable race.

I certainly agree with that notion, though I strongly hope the Arbiter is still playable. I really liked his character.

New Aliens Games!

20th Century Fox has teamed up with Sega to produce a couple of next gen titles based on the Alien franchise. Two titles have been announced, and Alien RPG that will be developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and an FPS developed by Gearbox Software.

This is some very interesting news, and I'm more interested for details about the RPG since FPSes have already been done in the Alien universe. Obsidian also did some solid work with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, so assuming Sega and Fox refrain from rushing them as LucasArts did, I'm expecting a very solid and engrossing title.

A small teaser site has been launched by Sega here.

Arbiter's Judgement gets Profound

Have you ever had anyone ask you who you are? I see this as an unfair question. How are you supposed to sum up everything you are into a couple of sentences, especially when we're each different things to different people; everyone sees us differently, we're more important or influential to some than to others.

The question the person should be asking is who you are to them, and in truth, only they can answer that, not you.

Which brings me to one point I don't understand: Why do so many people try to pretend to be someone they're not? Why do so many people try to hide their true self, are not happy with their true selves? The reason I don't understand this is because in the end, in the uttermost end, who we really, truly are to ourselves is all we have left.

So, who am I to you?

More Half-Life 2 Plush Toys

Just noticed that Valve Software has released two new plush toys on their online store, the Headcrab hat and a Vortigaunt.

If I ever saw anyone actually wearing the Headcrab hat, I'd have to hit them across the head with my crow bar. Good 'ol Blue.

Bungie Weekly Update Dec. 8th, 2006 - Halo 3 "Starry Night" Commercial

The topic of yesterday's Bungie Weekly Update is the creation of the Halo 3 "Starry Night Commercial," which you can check out here.

The most interesting detail I found is the first paragraph of the article:


"The funniest thing about the reaction to last week’s TV commercial was probably the oft-repeated claim that the CG on the two kids looked super fake. Which is especially amusing given that the kids, and even the clumps of grass around them, were real. It was all filled with real actors in a real studio. The CG doesn’t begin until you see the Chief’s helmet for the first time."


I told people the kids were real, but everyone thought they were CG, and by everyone I mean the Staff since he's the only one I've discussed the commercial with since its release.

The other interesting point I found is this:


"But the idea to show a young child and then jarringly switch to a battle weary soldier came from Tim Stier. By day he's an Art Director at McCann Worldgroup, SF, by night he's a Halo fanatic. We felt this misdirect would allow for people who had no idea who Master Chief was to be able to connect with a more human side of this war,..."


This supports my own belief that one of the kids is the Master Chief when he was a child prior to the Spartan-II program.

Mass Effect X06 Gameplay Video

Yesterday, Bioware released the gameplay trailer they featured at X06 (Microsoft's yearly Xbox show) for their upcoming Xbox 360 RPG, Mass Effect. You can download it off their site here in regular resolutions or in HD.

Now, where did I put my bib...

Apple Gaming Console

There's been a lot of talk this week about Apple possibly entering the console gaming market. You'll find articles all over the place, however I'll link to TeamXbox's article here.

Looks like Sony's planning ahead based on this as well, but Sony blew it with their ever-arrogant attitude already, so nuts to 'em.

Anyway, Macs give me enough headaches just word processing at the office, I find it hard to even consider the concept of them being a gaming platform. Macs are good at hardware failure, not playing video games.

Halo 3 "Starry Night" Commercial

On Monday night the new commercial for Halo 3 aired over some silly football game. Gay football aside, the ad is nice. You can check it out at Xbox's official site here, however even their supposed "high" resolution version looks like shit, and I recommend instead you head to TeamXbox here where you can both stream or download a standard or high def version. They also have several nice stills from the ad for your viewing pleasure.

One important thing to note is that this commercial is _not_ in game graphics, but is instead mostly CG work created by an outside, non-Bungie or Microsoft production company.

Cool things shown off in the ad (and yes, this is possibly spoiler territory):

- Possible the Master Chief, John, when he was a child
- A new kind of shield grenade
- Weapon storage on the Chief's armour
- A new look to the Brutes
- The simple truth that the war on Earth isn't going well for us humans

Watch, love it.

Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta North American Registration Live

The registration for the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta set for this spring is now live, and you can do so via the following newly launched site here.

I'm trying to sign up now and things are very, very slow, however I imagine the site's being hit real hard, so be patient. You'll also need to sign up for a Microsoft Global Account if you don't already have one.

The big question everyone seems to be having is regarding successful registration or not. A lot of people seem to be getting to a blank white screen with a copyright and links to the Privacy Statement and Terms of Use.

I signed up using Firefox 2, and got to this page after I submitted my info, so I'm not sure if the registration was successful or not. I tried using Internet Explorer 7 next, but got this white screen after selecting my country/language.

Not sure if it's working or not, so I'll try again in a few days.

UPDATE: Just gave it a try again tonight (Dec. 6th), and after filling out and submitting the form I got a proper confirmation screen. The pages are also loading up a shit load faster, so go sign up if you haven't already.

Fable: The Lost Chapters Wife Beating

As you all know I've been playing Fable: The Lost Chapters (Xbox) recently, and I've actually been playing it a lot. The game has a lot of very realistic touches (with a sarcastic twist), and I love all the freedom it gives you.

Right now I own a marital home in Southern Bowerstone which I've done up nicely, and I also married the local bar-maid.

Anyway, a few days ago, while liberating a bordello from their cruel master, I accidentally bought 50 beers from a Tavern keeper (lousy lack of a confirmation dialogue box). I'm playing a good Hero character, so aside from a little petty theft, sleeping with one prostitute, and accidentally killing a few wondering Traders who got in the way of my arrows, I've been a pretty nice guy. That said, I decided to save my game and have some fun.

I teleported back to Southern Bowerstone and visited my wife, giving her beer after beer as a present until she was stumbling around the house drunk. I then started punching the snot out of her until she fell flat on the floor, at which point I began kicking her while she was down. I finished the whole affair off by doing the Sexy Hero Pose. After several seconds, she got up and began stumbling about, complaining about how she didn't feel good and needs to give up drinking.

The fact that you can actually do something like that is just bloody hilarious because it's so bad. Actually, one of the only things I heard you couldn't do in the game is kill children, though I haven't tried.

Upcoming Xbox 360 RPGs for '07

TeamXbox has an interesting article up that outlines the most anticipated RPGs coming in 2007 for the Xbox 360. On that list for me is Mass Effect, Fable 2, and The Lord of the Rings: The White Council.

I'd also have BioShock added to the list, however since its not a pure RPG, I guess that's why they omitted it.

Check out the full article here.

Mass Effect Interview

ActionTrip has posted an interesting interview with Casey Hudson, the project director for BioWare's upcoming Xbox 360 RPG, Mass Effect.

You can check it out right here.

Jade Empire (PC) Special Edition Available for Pre-Order

BioWare has announced that the Special Edition of Jade Empire (PC) is now available for pre-order, and with your order, you'll also receive a bonus Style, Rhino Transformation Style, on a separate disk.

Details at Gamestop here.

Halo 3 CG Trailer to Air this Monday

Tomorrow, the Halo 3 CG trailer that Bungie's been talking about will air over some football game. Afterwards, it'll be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for anyone with an Xbox 360, and Bungie may host it on their site at sometime in the future.

I'm really looking forward to seeing it, however I expect I'll need to check around You Tube or something if I want to watch it before spring time.

It also never ceases to amaze me how the most homophobic nation in this hemisphere lusts after their homo-erotic sport. It's not real football after all, and is mostly just a bunch of guys humping each other on the ground for a minute followed by chugging Gatorade while scratching one's ass. Silly Americans.

Venom shown from Spider-Man 3

TeamXbox is hosting the first official images I've seen of Venom from the upcoming film, Spider-Man 3.

All I can say is, action figure, he looks like a plastic action figure. While the mouth itself looks cool, it's not the same without Venom's trademark tongue and drool. I also hope he's on all fours 'cause he's getting up, as having him run on all fours through the film will be an insult to the coolest comic character ever.