One of the most difficult things to assess for yourself when you are a computer geek is when your own use-dynamics have changed. You see, it is pretty easy for me to profess that I know just the gadget that someone else needs when they come to me for advice. But when I have to do that for myself, it gets a little harder.

Sometimes it is harder because I know about all of the various choices that are out there. When a normal consumer wants a computing device and they are concerned about portability, they automatically head for 13.3" laptops. But when you know about NetBooks, UMPCs, TabletPCs, SmartPhones, and MIDs, all of a sudden that choice is more difficult because of the increased variables involved.

The same is true when you have too many devices and do not realize until it until too late that you have some things that you just don't need. The Computer Geek's other problem is denial. We convince ourselves that we will get back to the project that requires that no longer recognizable gadget collecting dust underneath the computer table. Or that we can not afford to get rid of it because, while we do not need it everyday, the three times a year that we do need it, it is invaluable.

Such is perhaps the case with my Playstation Portable. I have recently divested myself of several digital doohickeys. My MacBook, Toshiba Satellite M305-4819 Laptop, Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC, my old BackUp Tower, and now my Nintendo Wii have all been part of a self-mandated mass exodus from my apartment. All of these failed to make the final cut of what was a subjective assessment of the devices that I really used and really needed.

My PSP was one of the devices that did make the cut. I convinced myself that I needed to maintain at least one of the two portable gaming consoles that I owned. It was an easy rift to make between the Nintendo DS and the PSP. The PS3 was staying; the Wii was going, so it made sense to tether the little brothers to the fates of their full-sized siblings.

The PSP was also more versatile as a multi-media device. With the ability to surf the web, play movies (via either digital format on the memory stick, or on UMD), and act as an MP3 Player, the PSP was the more sophisticated device. Those strengths also spurred, over its years on the market, the development of a more sophisticated games library. Between the two, the PSP had the titles that more so matched the flavor of the titles available on the last generation of consoles. This to me represented less of a paradigm shift when going from gaming on the 360 and PS3 one day, to playing on the PSP the next.

So which of the two I kept was essentially a no-brainer. The question I now ask myself, with only one remaining, is do I really need either? My frequency of travel has just fallen to rock-bottom these days. My involvement in social pursuits has also led to the fact that I am not out scaring up reasons to boost that travel frequency back up, either. 99% of the time that I am on the road these days, it is for social reasons, and there is little opportunity, need, or desire for clocking a lot of game-time on those trips.

That would be less of a big deal if it were not just for the infrequency of travel-use of my PSP. If you look at a lot of the consumer surveys taken over the last few years, most people use their portable consoles curled up on the couch or lying in bed in their own home. The large percentage of use of portable gaming consoles rarely happens outside of the home. And there is where I am also not clocking a lot of gaming time on my PSP.

Outside of going home, I do not see a lot of trips coming up where the PSP would be part of my Electronics Pak. But with two trips on the table to do just that, go home, and the fact that, inevitably, I will eventually have to go on business travel, the PSP will be retained. Right now, it falls into that category of devices that may only get used three times a year, but will be invaluable in those applications. One minute of boredom is unacceptable. So if I get stuck somewhere waiting for a flight by myself, or if I have a quiet night back at Mom's after she is asleep and my other family is occupied for the night, out will come the PSP.

It may not see a lot of action in 2009, but it still makes the list of devices that need to stick around...even if it collects a little dust this year...

- Vr/Zeux..>>

Movie: Fast and Furious
Video: Kings, on NBC (via Hulu.com)
Album: David Cook, David Cook
Inner Rockstar: Chad Kroeger
Karaoke Song: Living on a Prayer, Bon Jovi
OnLine Game: Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (360)
OffLine Game: Half-Life, PC
System: Acer Aspire ONE

Interesting Link 1: It is fast approaching summer, and that can mean only one thing. No, not baseball or ballpark franks. It means it is almost time for E3. As I've only been part of the gaming scene at arm's length for a few months, it is good that sites are still doing lists like this. It is one stop shopping for everything you wondered about what was going to be shown at E3 but were afraid to ask. Enjoy.

Interesting Link 2: The approach of summer also means more summer blockbusters, and more news thereof. The next big fish Marvel potentially has on a hook is the release of the impending Thor feature-film. There is some casting news up at IGN. The more important tidbit for me, which maybe everyone else already knew about it, is that the film is being directed by Kenneth Brannagh, one of my favorite director-actors.

Interesting Link 3: I am a big fan of Gas Powered Games. I own both Dungeon Siege and its sequel, and I'll take either one of them over Diablo II any day. But the latest from the erstwhile group helmed by the founder of the Wing Commander series seems to have come up a little short. However you take the current reviews (with grain of salt, perhaps?), you can at least read about them here.

The times have definitely changed. I am in the process of (hopefully) getting rid of five computers and 2 game systems. I will likely have as much to write about the things I am not buying this year as the things that I am. And so, let's get that topic started right now. There are already a handful of products on the market that, while perhaps not quite lackluster, have not sufficiently piqued my interest to force me into the early-adopter zone. Let's take a look at a few.

First up is the Amazon Kindle. In its second iteration, a lot of people think that eBooks are the new killer app. I like eBooks. I like the concept, I like the format, I like the things that they do for a gadget geek's lifestyle. Right now I am in the middle of reading Nelson DeMille's The Gatehouse in eBook format, and it's a blast.

But...I am reading it on my Motion Computing LE1600 TabletPC. This is a device that I would own regardless of whether or not I read eBooks. The unit cost me $650 used. Amazon wants more than half of that for a Kindle2. And guess what? I still can not read it on the plane during take-off and landing. My LE1600 does a whole mess of stuff, including acting as my primary work PC. It is an iTunes rig, I can watch video on it, surf the web, work on my website, and attach accessories to it like a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers and use it as a full PC. The Kindle2 does not do any of these things. The unit is steeply priced for a device that does not do that much, but still has the same airplane usage restrictions as a full-blown laptop. No thanks. I'll pass.

Oh yeah, and its display is only in Black and White.

Second up are MiDs, Mobile Internet Devices. I want one. I want one bad. And I don't mean the hobbled little Nokia devices that they keep coming out with that can not do anything other than surf the web. I want a device that provides a near-UMPC experience. With a nearly full-blown OS. And it needs to be able to play video, and audio, and hold my entire iTunes collection. In a pinch I need to be able to post everything from a tweet to a mini-blog post.

But most of all, I need to stop being teased. If I go to Dynamism one more time and see that every device that is a true MID is still listed as "available for pre-order", I'm going to have a conniption. This is ridiculous. These things are scampering all over the place in Japan and Korea. Is it that much to ask for, like, two models to be available in the US by now?

So, congratulations, Intel and the rest of your cohorts. I will not be buying a MID this year. Not because I do not want to. But because you continue to not deliver them for purchase in this country. Thanks a lot.

Last but by no means least on my "not gonna purchase it this year" is an upgrade to my iPhone. I already skipped the 3G iPhone. Mainly because my 2G iPhone was torquing me off on a daily basis. And it still does. Do not get me wrong. My current iPhone is a good multi-media phone. But the next thing that will replace it will be a 2nd smartphone to compliment the one I use during the week. No matter what Apple has planned to roll out this summer, there is just no way that they are going to deliver the range of functionality that my WinMo phone has. Its [my current iPhone] replacement will be a small form-factor WinMo phone to be a weekend replacement for my Tilt. I love you Apple, but your phone is not getting it done for me because I am so dependent on my PIM.

So that's it. I am interested in hearing what gadgets you guys perceive are held as the new hotness but you are personally electing to take a pass on. Comment away. There's always more.

- Vr/Z.

It has been quite nearly 3.5 years since the Xbox 360 launched to much acclaim. Several hundred red-rings of death later, the little green console is certainly entering its waning years of pre-eminence. I have postulated on several forums that I fully expect to see news leak of the Xbox 720 (or Xbox 3602) before the year is out. I am veritably shivering in anticipation of the news of what the successor to the 360 will bring to the table. Microsoft certainly has it figured out with regards to the digital distribution model and multi-media integration with a home PC network, so I expect those themes to be heavily leveraged in the new consoles design. With that being said, I thought it was timely to consider the state of the console market.

Instead of my standard commentary where I lambaste all three console manufacturers, I'll cover that very quickly (how the manufacturers stack up). Then I'll spend most of the rest of the time reminiscing about which titles have been my favorite (on the 360) and comment on what I am using each console for.

Not much has changed since the 360's initial launch window and the Sony/Nintendo follow-ons one year later.

Xbox 360 Report Card (3.5 year-point):

Pace of truly great multi-player titles has slowed (-)

Still has a great market-place for video content (+)

As peripherals age, is it really worth the investment to replace them? (-)

Camera never found a use for much of anything (-)

A lot of the multi-media features were great up-front, but have lost their luster in the out years (streaming; iPod integration) (-)

Should have had larger hard drives available. Streaming is great, but having your media right there on the console would have been a better option (-)

Games age well; titles that were great are still awesome to play (+)

Xbox Live Community has gotten less migratory as the frequency of AAA titles has slowed; a lot are revisiting titles that they had abandoned (+)

PS3 Report Card:

Gets nod for "most improved" console (+)

Idiotic frequency of firmware updates has finally become reasonable (+)

Upgrading the hard drive does not result in a loss of the system configuration settings, just game saves (+)

Incredible high learning curve with regards to online marketplace GUI and content; Sony has finally gotten this right (+)

Even higher company learning curve with regards to media content. Still makes no sense that Sony does not distribute music from their own record label as digital downloads via the PSN Store that could be played on both your PS3 and PSP (+/-)

Integration between PS3 and PSP is a value-multiplayer (+)

Upgradeable HD means more space for direct storage and a lot more space for media downloads (video) form the PSN store (+)

I'm going to call PSN Home a wash. There is not a lot to do, but its mere presence is more than XBL offers, so plus one. Then again, XBL does not need it, since their friend's list and dashboard features are global, Sony's is not; gig to Sony. You don't net points for making something cool just because you had to because your management of online social features was broken. Nor do you get points for forcing me to launch into a special app just to be social with people who own the same console that I do (+/-)

Its library is on the up-swing, while the 360's is becoming more stagnant than its previous pace. (+)

Great Blu-Ray player (+)

Nintendo Wii Report Card:

Why did they make this again? And why did I sit in line for one? (-)

Worst library of completely uninteresting releases; thank God for Conduit, and I hope Sega gets that right (-)

Thanks for abandoning the core gamer, Nintendo, in your rush to capture more non-gamers as consumers. Let's see if those non-gamers are your core consumer base who you expect to rush out and buy the Wii2. Casual gamers are not tech early adopters. The early adopters, the ones you relied upon to create the buzz that made the casual gamers go out and but the console after we bought ours; they are the ones you've abandoned. (

Addition of online video content is a plus, even if it is just in the form of game adverts and specials (+)

Out-of the-box, big pluses for including onboard memory and wireless connectivity (+)

Nice news channel and weather channel (+)

I have never gotten Mii Parade to work (-)

Still, playing Madden 2007 with the Wii-Mote is the best football video-game experience I have had in years...and I am still playing it. (+)

I should have never told myself I would get into Zelda...or even Metroid. It was a lie (-)

Best Titles on the 360:

One theme is consistent in the titles that I rank as my favorite over the life of the 360, and that is a strong multi-payer component. It may have been just the time in my lire; the fact that I had just switched careers, was in a very introverted mode in relating to people, and had just moved. The combination of dynamics resulting in a desire to be less out and about, combined with the arrival of the first predominantly cheat-proof online gaming experience resulted in me being completely hooked by Xbox Live. So here's my list:

Call of Duty 4 (November 2008, Dev: Treyarch, Pub: Activision Blizzard)

The greatest appeal to me of this title is the ability to jump into a multiplayer arena in five minutes or less, play for 10 minutes or less, and get out. Add the addictive appeal of just about everything that you do resulting in points adding to your overall ranking score. A brief but very powerful single-player campaign is a welcome side-addition. Pluses all around for this one.

ChromeHounds (July 2006, Dev: From Software, Pub: Sega)

The only decent mech title for the 360, this game was one that I gained visibility on prior to the launch window and tracked all the way until it release. This game teeters on my list of best ever titles and my list of worst-ever titles. It is one of those titles that you love so much that you just want it to be better. There are a handful of glaring issues that could have been resolved by simply applying common gaming sense. But outside of those, it is the one title that truly requires teamwork. I have not palyed Left for Dead, yet, but the buzz is that it is the only title that has exceeded this one in punishing lone wolves out seeking glory for themselves. From 'Hound selection, to weapons fitting out, to the planning stage to the battlefield, Chromehounds forces players to be conscious of the choices and intentions of their fellow teammates. Adding squad specific elements like team colors and emblems build a sense of online camaraderie that has perhaps only been seen in MMORPG Guilds. I am hoping that this series gets a reboot so that Sega and From get a chance to address items that were not right the first time around.

Forza Motorsport 2 (May 2007, Dev/Pub: Microsoft Game Studios)

The seminal racer of the 360. It is not the only good racer on the 360. And it does not do everything better than the other racers do. PGR3 is easier to pick-up and play quickly online. GRiD has a mix of tracks that Forza does not replicate. Forza is at times "too much" of a sim. But the total package is the one that I am able to spend the greatest number of continuous hours in without getting bored. Bravo.

Gears of War (November 2006, Dev: Epic Games, Pub: Microsoft Game Studios)

While everyone rages about GoW2, I still give props on the best of list to the original. The lancer itself changed the very heart of the way we think about multiplayer shooters. By keeping the weapon selection tight and the maps smallish, Epic struck a great balance between variety and polish. While most shooters have gone the route of making maps massive, Epic's map design keeps the scale tactical, making the firefights intense and the hunt when there are only two contestant remaining nail-bitingly nerve-wracking.

GRiD (June 2008, Dev/Pub: CodeMasters)

At first, I did not warm up to this game. Mainly on account of the fact that I was still knee-deep into Forza 2, so the transition was tough. Once I figured out that GRiD sat squarely in-between PGR and Forza, it became crystal clear to me. With a braking model that allows for enough error that you can roll your vehicle if you goon up a turn, GRiD injects more realism than PGR, but keeps it light enough that you do not fell as physics-bound as you do when going into a turn in Forza. While Forza's detail level makes the most argued-for contender for the title of best racer on the 360, GRiD's balance gives it a right to vie for the same.

PGR3 (November 2005, Dev: Bizarre Creations, Pub: Microsoft Game Studios)

PGR 3 is no sim. But there are a number of things that make it a go-to online gaming title to this day. It models car interiors, when some game designers have shied away from this little detail. It has an easily navigable front-end that makes both getting into a game for participants and changing room setup for hosts, quick and easy. There are a handful of things it does not do well. Back in the day when people cared about their online ranking in this game, there was not penalty for blatantly taking a participant out in a ranked race, leading to the prevalence of this tactic. There was never a gameplay mechanism put in place to discourage 90% of the idiots online from inevitably piling up in the a huge wreck in the first corner of every track. Sad. But for the specific areas in which it does things well, PGR3 arguably has no rival.

Rainbow Six Vegas/Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (March 2008, Dev: Ubisoft Montreal, Pub: Ubisoft)

This is one where the sequel definitely surpasses the original. The most important addition was respawns in Terrorist Hunt, arguably one of the most popular online multipayer modes. This game has legs that rival CoD4. It will be interesting to see which one is still being played avidly when the 360 is finally retired.

I am a little concerned about Microsoft and their business approach to their Windows product line, the impending roll-out of Windows 7, and what it will mean to me as an end user, and a reviewer and advisor to others and their technical needs. Windows 7 has a chance to bring Windows back to the fore as a desirable operating system. While Vista and XP combined still represent the majority percentage of PC computing platforms deployed throughout the world, I can not say that subjectively people go into a store wanting Vista. They are accepting it because they have no other choice. It is not like the rollout of XP where people actively wanted to upgrade to XP. Some of this is due to bad press, some of this is due to half-baked drivers rolled out by graphics card vendors, and some of this is due to Vista's own shortcomings.

As it is just past wrapping up its second year of deployment, I am ok with Vista. Most of the times I have an issue with it, it is because of an app, vice being the fault of the OS itself. I am now running four machines with Vista; two with the 64-bit version, two with the 32-bit. I think overall I am happiest with the 64-bit models, though I can not point to anything empirical that backs that up. In its first year, and a good bit into the second, Vista's standing in the public eye has been hampered by the surge of OS X and the prevalence of variations of the LINUX OS present in the rampantly increasing population of NetBooks on the market.

The problem with this is that a lot of people, myself included, listened to the slagging of the OS and therefore did not make enough of an effort to really put it to use and see what it does. I picked up my first computer running OS X, a MacBook, in May of 2007 and was immediately pleased with the OS. I then picked up my first Vista laptop in September of 2007 and was immediately hampered with problems. As I sang the praises of OS X through the end of '07 and the first quarter of '08, I eventually admitted that I needed to give Vista another try and a fair shake. Since then, Service Pak One has appeared, and a lot of graphics card driver issues have been cleared up. I can not now say that my computing experiences with my Vista laptops lag all that far behind those with my MacBook and MacBook Pro. While I still prefer the MacBook Pro over any other platform when I have to work with creative multi-media projects, I will say that I definitely prefer some of my Vista laptops over the MacBook.

News has been out for some time that Microsoft is readying their follow-on to Vista. From what I have seen, I am not sure how this OS is going to help. Most of the changes are presentation deltas from the way Vista presents info, but it does not really change the inherent way in which the OS handles PC operations. For this reason, my current judgment is that this is more of a face-lift being done to placate the masses rather than a major functional change-out of the OS. It is an incremental change, vice an evolutionary change. In fact, it is similar to Intel's tick-tock development cycle, with this being a definite tick.

The last time Microsoft did this was with the ill-received and ill-deployed WindowsME OS. The real changes came with the arrival of WindowsXP. In that instance, WinME should have never been deployed. An extra year or two of people complaining about Win98 would have been preferable to the launching of a hobbled OS meant to get everyone through until WinXP could arrive. Early in 2008, I accused Vista of being the descendent of WindowsME, and I was admittedly wrong. I do not want to be placed in a position to render a similar, but correct, judgment on Windows 7, although I do think that the OS will be an improvement. What I do not understand is why this is not just rolled out as Service Pak 2 to Vista.

CNET has run a recent article displaying some of the changes to come. Booting and logging into the OS will be done via the Windows Live Messenger interface, which I am not pleased to hear. I use Messenger because I have to. Because some of my friends are on it, and I have been unsuccessful in getting all of my friends and family to use a common, preferably open source messaging agent. I have also not had a lot of success with messenger apps that supposedly integrate all of your IM accounts, particularly since I use these apps across multiple operating systems. In most cases, Windows Live Messenger is a nagging app that I routinely have to cull out of my auto-start applications, so having it brought more so to the fore is not something I am interested in.

The major issue this highlights is MS' strategic intention to move to more of a cloud computing model. There is so much emphasis in the market now on going to apps that reside off the PC and via web-based access. The problem I have is that I travel a lot. I am not always connected to the web. My apps need to reside on my PC, not on the web. Once I am logged onto my PC, I do not want to have to log on to another account, or several accounts, to access the apps I need at my fingertips.

One Windows 7 change that is welcome is that Gadgets will now be able to be placed anywhere on the desktop, representing similar functionality to OS X's Dashboard. I have had an inherent dislike of the Vista Sidebar. However, it definitely has some useful functionality. It is a good choice to use for increased situational awareness when you are on a display where you do not mind giving up an inch or two of real estate, but not so much in laptop environments, where I have spent all of my Vista time. Some increased configurability is not a bad idea, as long as MS continues to decrease its impact on performance, which was a primary Achilles Heel of using the Sidebar during Vista's initial roll-out.

Overall, Windows 7 is looking better. As long as this is a truly new OS, this could be a great move. But everything I hear is that it is just Vista with a slightly altered GUI, and improved drivers and driver compatibility. One of the biggest reasons XP was such a hit was the improved manner in which it handled drivers over Windows98. A big driver jump will always be welcome.

Of course, as a student of market forces in the technology industry, I have to admit to the necessity of adapting your products to meet consumer needs. But the software developer side of me gets very wary when I see us changing our products just because the customer refuses to understand how the software really works or because they develop a perception based on hearsay and refuse to alter their view when they are shown proof that everything is ok. If Microsoft is making a lot of cosmetic changes with no real meaty changes in the kernel, I will be disappointed. More importantly, I will again not be barreling headfirst down the early adopter pathway if I can not be shown a tangible reason as to why I should upgrade.

Even if I do upgrade, I will only do so begrudgingly. I waited almost a full year before I willingly invested in a Vista machine. I have now been operating within a Vista environment with some level of frequency for just over a year. Windows 7 is supposedly going to be out as early as the Holiday season this year. Wow. I will have gotten 2 whole years out of Vista before I am already being asked to upgrade, or being asked go to a new OS if I decide that is time for another PC.

What I am perhaps most interested to see is how Microsoft will handle product positioning of Vista once it is no longer their flagship OS. Abandon it completely? Will it still be sold? I assume that tech support of it will continue, but will new Service Packs become available? Will there be any flow-down of software improvements from Windows 7 into Vista? Or will MS pull the same thing it did with DirectX 10, and force you to upgrade to their new OS in order to gain certain features that they refuse to make backwards compatible?

For us consumers, who will continue to hold on to Vista? Many people continued to hold on to XP and still do. Some of us have researched and found every avenue available to back our Vista-pre-installed new PCs back down to run our already held copies of WindowsXP. I think that I will be one of the people who leads this charge when Windows 7 deploys. I will insist on continuing to run Vista and make it work until I am given some undeniable reason to upgrade. In fact, for everything that people claim that Windows 7 does better, I will seek to establish that Vista does it just as well, until I am repeatedly proven wrong.

There are two areas in which I might be forced to give up this Don Quixote crusade earlier than I would like. If Windows Mobile 7 launches shortly thereafter, and I buy a new smartphone that runs WinMo7, and there are inherently tethered areas of functionality between Win7 and WinMo7. If the two OS' significantly leverage off of each other and there is a vast improvement in smartphone usability, then I would jump ship. My mobile devices are so very near and dear to my heart that I would suffer the shame of being proven wrong about Windows7 to improve my smartphone experience.

And, of course, if Windows 7 does something that significantly alters my gaming experience, then I am cashing in all of my chips to make the jump.

Movie: I Love You, Man
Video: Mind of Mencia, Season One, Disc One
Album: updating iTunes
Inner Rockstar: updating iTunes
Karaoke Song: updating iTunes
OnLine Game: N/A
OffLine Game: N/A
System: Main Tower (September 2007 Build)

Interesting Link 1: In the world of licensed properties made into video games, super-heroes have enjoyed just as much of a dearth of success as movies have. With the Spider-Man game franchise being the only one to score a few home-runs, the offerings have been few and far between. Arkham Asylum has the looks to be the first decently dark super-hero tale told through the video-game medium. With what appears to be a solid story, placed in one of the greatest settings of comic book-dom, and an entire rogues gallery of worthy villains, GameSpot's Hands-On is worth a read to see how this title is shaping up.

Interesting Link 2: Yes, I am a dyed in the wool Trekker (not a Trekkie; Trekkies wear costumes and go to conventions). And I am excited about next month's release of the franchise's reboot. I am also wary and skeptical, as the most recent trailer seems to indicate that JT Kirk just assumes command of the Enterprise out of brazen fortitude, rather than having been issued orders from Star Fleet like any normal officer would for his next tour of duty. That quibble aside, peep IGNs report on what is already planned to happen next with the franchise.

Interesting Link 3: I personally do not agree with the rest of the technology following media and their current position on netbooks. 10" is not the sweet spot, as that is just shy of a full laptop. And some full laptops dip down into this form factor; TabletPCs, ultra-portables (my first ultraportable, the Fujitsu Lifebook P2000, clocked in with a less than 10" screen, and it had an optical drive and everything). I personally think the netbook sweet-spot is an 8" screen, like my 8.9" Acer Aspire ONE. But what am I going to do, say the whole world is wrong and I am right? (maybe). So, I'll begrudgingly report on this link to LaptopMag's review of the Samsung NC110. While I may not like the form factor, the fact is that the unit is spot-on in regards to everything else and is priced right. If you are in the market for a netbook right now, this is a model to consider.

I've been catching up on a lot of PC games recently. More to say, I've been finally getting around to playing a lot of titles that I bought, sometimes as much as 2 years ago, and have never taken the time to play. It's been great.

First up is Crysis. The game is tight. Good. Cool. The graphics are obviously awesome, and it is a great tech demo. I am sure it looks even better in DirectX 10. I am playing it on the Main Tower, which is an XP machine with a nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB. Still, the game is very sharp. I am amazed that people have spent so many months complaining about not being able to play the game on max settings. I am equally amazed at the forum trolls who laugh at the people who are asking for help in assessing whether or not a given video card is worth buying or not because the card is not capable of rendering Crysis at max settings. You don't need max settings; the game looks fine on medium setting. Play through it once. Buy a new video card two years later; re-install the game and play through it again on max settings. In the meantime, the story is fine and playing it on medium settings will not decrease your overall enjoyment of the game unless you are one of these people who need the bragging rights of claiming that you played a certain game at max settings.

That all being said, the game mechanics are nothing special. I'll give it props for the destructible environments. I often laugh at titles that claim to be innovative when they are really just doing something that's been done before, but doing it extremely well. In Crysis' defense, I laugh at Battlefield Bad Company's claims of innovative new destructible environments when it is clear that EA lifted the well executed concepts in Crysis for BBC; the environment destruction essentially runs the same gambit in both titles from the publisher.

I also have to gig Crysis and all of its fanboys for lauding it for being this new great thing. Crysis is a good game...but as far as game mechanics and physics goes, it is just Far Cry in a super-suit with better graphics. I mean, substitute Jack Carver for Nomad, and it is the same game. So I like Crysis, but don't tell me that when it hit it was some new innovative title. That is just a load of rubbish.

The good things about Crysis: the AI is aggressive and moves around. Camps have roving patrols. I am sometimes disturbed by the AI's ability to seemingly suss out the fact that you are in their vicinity without getting a clear visual on you. But I'll tolerate that to a certain extent. I am also sometimes bothered by objectives that are sometimes unclear ("Take care of those tanks"; "Oh, you mean with these RPGs that nobody told me were hidden in some obscure hut-size building on the other side of the camp and I only found by running around screaming for my Mommy? Sure, no problem"). I have not played through the whole game yet, but the vehicular portions are forgettable, just because they are so similar to Far Cry (although I have not flown on a hang-glider yet; one of the cooler things to do in Far Cry). The sequences that you spend in your super-suit are much more poignant. Dodging bullets with your super-sprint and getting close enough to a guy to pummel him is pretty cool. I have not found maximum strength to be good for anything yet other than jumping higher. It would have been nice if you could use it for a one-shot picking up of a HMMWV to throw at a group of antagonists, or to hit them over the head with it. Cloaking is a pretty cool trick, but some of the fight sequences, where you are completely overwhelmed by numbers of bad guys, devolve into "shoot-run-hide-cloak-reposition-surprise shoot-repeat". This sequence is neat the first few times, but gets old, particularly in some of the larger fire fights where you have to go through this sequence over and over again for five minutes or longer continuously.

I would have pretty much given this game a strong eight when it released in 2007, and stand by that today.

Some other titles that I have circled back around to but have already discussed here before: Max Payne, Need for Speed - Carbon, Underground, and Porsche Unleashed, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003, Bioshock, and Tomb Raider: Legend. Great games all.

I can see that, with the economy, and my begrudging admission that maybe it is time for me to grow up, I may have to be satisfied with finally going back and playing through some of these retro titles. The opportunities to go and buy the latest greatest gaming titles just to let them sit around my home for 2 years are few and far between now as I consider other needs. Ahhh...the good old days.

- Vr/Zeux..>>

Movie: Taken
Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5, Disc 1
Album: The Singles 1992 - 2003, No Doubt
Inner Rockstar: Silkk the Shocker
Karaoke Song: Tru Dat, Levert
OnLine Game: Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (360)
OffLine Game: Rainbow Six Vegas (360)
System: XBox 360

Interesting Link 1: For budding photogs and those who were lucky enough to score a new dSLR camera for Christmas, but still don't know how to use it - dSLR Guide. I know I'll be taking this course, so no one should feel embarrassed. Digital cameras, of all the gadgets I
own, are some of the most difficult to extract maximum use from. Maximum use, that is, beyond just putting the thing in auto and letting it do all of the work for you. Although doing just that is sometimes the best thing to do. This article should help you figure some of those things out.

Interesting Link 2: I am pretty interested in the GI Joe flick that is coming out, and have high hopes that it will be good and do well. This is the first article that I've seen with any info on the associated video-game tie-in. Of course, movie tie-in videogames tend to be horrible, so my hopes are not as high for it as they are for the movie.

Interesting Link 3: Scary. I am a supporter of Microsoft when it comes to their place in the games industry. Say what you want about their Operating Systems and other products, but the XBox 360 has been a positive thing in the games space. And while Games for Windows Live may have yet to take off, the point is that Microsoft was the only one who was willing to lead an offensive to buoy the attention paid to PC gaming. However, in the current fiscal environment, I can not see how opening up a retail chain to further promote these pillars is at all wise. Then again, Microsoft basically prints its own money. They can afford to experiment and take risks on something that may not turn out all that well. More power to 'em. If it means being able to walk into a store and have a decent selection of PC games without having to endure the console-playing rabble clamoring for the next edition of Madden, I'll probably be willing to shop there.

I am planning a short overnight trip over to a nearby town. While I am struggling with concocting something cultural to do, gear selection is something I will have a much easier time with. So the kit will be as follows:

MacBook – this will be largely a photography trip, provided the weather holds and it is not so cold that my lens will get frost-bit. The MB is an excellent platform for "developing" photos. You see, despite that everything is now all fancy-dancy digital, I do not feel like I am done taking photos just from looking on the camera's LCD. I need to see the photos blow up on a screen, even if it is just the MacBooks 13.3 incher.

PSP – it's going to be chilly, so I intend to find a few activities to do during the day, and a decent place to eat chow, then I'll hole up in a room with my PSP; some SOCOM and Tekken action will be in order

iPod Touch – ok, this is actually going to be my iPhone; I'll place it in airplane mode and use it as a video player. I have some episodes of Reno 911! To get caught up on.

SkullCandy Headphones – no plane trip means not having to worry about anyone thinking I am a devil worshiper when I am in my own hotel room jamming to my Metallica branded headphones, complete with skull on the earcups. Seriously, I only bought them because they sound good.

Sony a350 dSLR with Lenses (100-200mm and 75-300mm lens) – I am a little concerned about only kitting myself out with my two most powerful zooms. When I was similarly equipped for my trip out to San Diego, I came upon a few things (like cruise ships and aircraft carriers) that were so big that I could not get them in frame without going to the opposite side of the street, which was not always feasible. Consider my photographer's challenge for this trip. I'll have to select my activities appropriately.

iPod – this may be overkill. Eventualy I am going to have to start thinking about my equipment overlap on some trips. For an airport trek, I would not mind schlepping both my iPod and my iPhone, since neither's battery would last an entire cross-country flight by themselves. However for a single overnight, I may need to consider carrying one or the other. For that matter, I ought to seriously consider just watching video on my PSP.

Tilt – my primary cell phone will be the Tilt; hmmmm…on-the-go Twittering experiment perhaps?

CompuDayPak – this will be the third trip with the CDP, which was my tripwire for authorizing consideration of the purchase of a booq Python pack or Python Pro, also combination laptop/digital SLR camera bags.

As I wrap this list up, I realize that my standard loadout plan has always been scaled a one-weeker, with enough gear to then keep me busy if I get extended. I may wind up looking at this list again and crimping it, as I suspect that my ability to be at home enough to take short 3-day trips of my own choosing may become more prevalent. I could probably afford to drop the iPod and the Tilt, and just use my iPhone for both tunes and phone calls. That means I will need to be able to frequently recharge.

The list spawns some new ideas. I have considered what it would mean for me to go laptop only in the 'WERKZ. It may also be worth taking a look at an alternate configuration of workstations around here as far as gear goes; more on that later as I flesh that out.

Most nicest thing about this gear list is that, with the new, cavernous, hard drive that I've installed in the MacBook, I will not have to worry one bit about taking tons of photos. Of course, I'll post the obligatory trip report when I get back. Laters.

- Vr/Z..>>

I've had a lot of brief thoughts this week; too many to ever get through if I ever tried to write full articles on each. I am going to, therefore, try and do some quick hits to kind of clear the queue in the bottleneck that is frequently my brain. The first involves trying to wrench some use out of my Wii. This is a console that, though cheap, involved a lot of personal effort on my part trying to obtain one. There were several unsuccessful attempts to obtain one at store openings. I even missed out trying to get in line to get a pre-order ticket. The anticipatory demand for the console pre-launch was at a volume that I had not anticipated.

I finally tracked down a shipment coming into Toys R'Us, maybe the second shipment week after the initial launch. Word about town revealed that no one was hip to it. I was the first guy in the parking lot that morning, and was able to manage ensuing line waiters into some level of organization for the 18 units that the store had.

But despite that small victory, and mildly rewarding experience (it was the first and only time I had ever waited in line for a console during its launch), the unit has not seen much use. In fact, when it comes up in my gaming rotation, I sometimes grit me teeth for fear of the next three day that I will be planning on spending on it. In truth, I use the console more for the News and Weather Channels than for actual gaming. With nothing to speak of with regards to true multiplayer capability, I have been wondering whether or not I wasted my time and money in getting it.

However, much as I am trying to focus on maximizing ROI on my PS3 and PSP, I am attempting a similar feat with my Nintendo Wii. A lot of the gaming media is acknowledging that the Wii will sell like hotcakes this holiday season, but concurrently note that they do not see many compelling titles on the horizon for the system. The Wii is a one-trick pony. First-party titles are popular, but third party titles and core gamer titles are in short supply. And Nintendo typically only releases one installment of their most popular first-party franchises per console generation. So even the first-party titles that core gamers like, such as Zelda and others, will likely not be making second appearances on the Wii. For someone like me, who prefers mainstream fare, the future is bleak. This is the only console I have ever waited in line for, and I have hardly used it.

So I went out and finally bought a Classic Controller, and downloaded two Sega Genesis games from the Virtual Console: Altered Beast and Eternal Champions. The latter was the game that finally made me enjoy fighting games like a lot of my peers of the time. While everyone else had been getting junked out on Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, I just did not see the enjoyment in that model of game. With EC, I finally "got it". Thinking that I needed another SD card to add to the current 1GB card that has been in my Wii since launch, I had forgotten that the Wii rocks a good amount of its own internal memory. Right now, it looks like I should be able to continue to download Sega titles (my focus for VC downloads) for a while before needing to expand memory. Other than that, I intend to focus on the small number of first-person shooters that there are for the Wii, and some sports titles. I just hope that playing old 16-bit downloads for nostalgia's sake and using the Wii as my Madden machine are enough to make me feel like the console was worth it when it is time to trade it in for the next generation of Nintendo home console.