Over the past few months my wife and I have since moved out to the country on a small hobby farm. While we love it the only way to get internet is by satilite via Wild Blue. The slow DL speeds put me off of even getting on the computer most the time as it just takes to long (which explain my absence on GS). In short my online PC gaming career has ended for awhile anyway. I have tried COD4, WAW, WOW, Guild Wars with not luck; our lantency is way to high. I have been tempted to try gaming over a G3 netowork to see if it is any better but I'm not holding my breath. Has anyone had any luck gaming over a satilite connection of G3?

In the mean time I have suddenly become a avid wii fan and must admit am enjoying it. I will say that I am the type of person who will rewearch a game and only buy it if it seems interesting or gets great reviews. So far in the past few months I have played Madworld, Ghostbusters, Punchout, Zelda and am hoping to get Tiger Woods soon. I have yet to test the wifi connection with the wii to see if I can go online with better sucess.

I wish there were better ways of playing online but to my knowlege there is not (yet). I can only hope that one day in the near future we will get BB or cable out to our farm until then it looks like it's single player PC or wii games for the future.

http://www.maxgames.com/game/age-of-war.html

Give it a go you won't be dissapointed!

For the most part everyone needs a mousepad, the kind you need all depends on what you use it for. Today mousepads come in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials, again it all depends on your needs which kind you will need or want. At the moment I have a mousepad from Xtrac called the Xtrac Pro HS, the HS means Hard Surface.

I have always been skeptical about mouse pads weather they are worth it or not. I recently broke down and decided to get as I was wearing the finish off my office desk with all the gaming I do. I must admit that this mouse pad is great. It has a super slick plastic top surface that lets the mouse glide effortlessly. The hexagon pattern helps with the mouse tracking.... though the difference is negligible. The rubber-backing will not slip even during your more robust gaming nights.

Overall I believe the Xtrac makes a good product and for the price you can't beat it.

What can I say? After a few short week of intesive gaming this is the best gaming mouse I have have played. The other mice had their strengths, and I'm not saying this is the only mouse you should consider, but I do think it's the best. Why? I'll tell you.

First, this mouse is comfortable to use. My hand conforms to it naturally and I don't feel that any fingers are hanging free or gripping in any weird places. Apart from the traditional left, right, middle scroll wheel, there are two additional buttons for your thumb that do not feel misplaced. The construction of the mouse feels solid. Everything is big enough but not too big. It's subtly designed for a right hand (lefties won't work at all) and feels natural at it.

The software is pretty much what you expect: all the usual configuration options. It doesn't have an easy DPI switch button like the Ikari or Sidewinder, but its On-the-fly sensitivity is so easy to use that you don't really need it. One extra button under the scroll wheel might not have been unwelcome, but who can say?

The motion and tracking are absolutely flawless in this mouse. It's still as a rock at rest, goes in a straight line when it needs to, but doesn't interfere with any movements at all.

If you are looking at purchasing your first gaming mouse whatever the brand it will take several hours of gaming to get use to it. Stock mice usually have a DPI or around 400 unlike gaming mice which have a DPI of around 2000. This allows for tighter hand movement for a quick response on the screen but it take getting use to.

Combine this mouse with a mouse pad (more later) you will be on your way to several more hours of happy gaming.

barefooting (bare•foot•n) n. 1. The exhilarating joy of going barefoot without leaving yourself exposed; 2. any activity requiring unconventional footwear offering the protection of a thin, flexible Vibram skin; 3. an intelligent way to deepen your connection with your natural surroundings.

Check it out: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Love the shoes!

After 6 months, having to sell our Wii and move 3,000 miles away, this Christmas we received a new wii. This is great and something we didn't expect. The wii is a great system and still fairly hard to find in stores. While is may not be the hardcore gamers choice (PC for me) it is a great system to have around for friends and family. We even managed to get my 86 year old grandpa playing a round of golf on wii sports. This from a man who can't turn on a computer.

And now I am looking forward to playing the few games that have been released during my six month hiatus. If you got any suggestions let me know.

SoI just found out about the release of a new trackmania game to download for free on the PC. For those who may not be familiar with this series trackmania is a racing game with a twist, full of big jumps, loops and speed. I won't say anything more about the game as you can read the reviews about the game on gamespot, other than that its great for multiplayer both locally and via the internet. Check it out you won't be disappointed.

http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/driving/trackmanianationsforever/download_6189199.html

As I wrote earlier we are moving back to America.... I'm off tomorrow to get our four cats settled in there new place. Then we have roughly six weeks before you move. My visits to gamespot will be sporatic as things are busy here. Will post later....

The last week or so I've gotten back into Star Craft. In light of SCII imminent release, I thought I should practice up on my playing skills (I'm a bit rusty to say the least). If anyone out there plays look me up on battlenet (rizzo1).

No I'm not pregnant and neither is my wife.

We have decided to move back to America. My wife and I are both American and have decided that it is time to move back. We have been here together for the last five years, though my wife has lived here since she was six so this is a big step as she well be leaving her home.

We are looking forward to the opportunities that await us and meeting back up with some old friends. We need to find jobs so my wife is looking for a job such as a house manager or director of a residential home and I will be looking for a marketing executive position. I havn't been following the job market in America recently so I can only hope that we find something quickly. For now it is off to live my family for a few months!

On the gaming side of things... well the brand new Wii I just bought a month or so ago I will now hae to sell:(. But atlas I will get another when we get settled into the states.