The flood gates have opened...

It is the end of the year. This is the time that game publishers have decided to saturate the market with games. That wouldn't be a problem, except the majority of these are A-class titles.

Just to give you and idea of the problem, here is a look at the PC releases I am interested in from October -> December:

10/20 - Dead Space
10/21 - Far Cry 2
10/21 - Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
10/28 - Fallout 3
10/28 - Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

11/04 - James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
11/17 - Left 4 Dead
11/17 - Need for Speed: Undercover
11/18 - Tomb Raider: Underworld
11/18 - Legendary

12/02 - Grand Theft Auto IV
12/09 - Prince of Persia

Whew!
----------------

Okay, so with that release calendar in mind here is what I am currently playing (in order of time invested):

• Fallout 3
  
  I'm totally engrossed in this game. It feels like I am getting close to the end, so I am trying to avoid certain Quests. I would like to explore more of this vast landscape. There is so much to see and do that this game has capture most of my time. I will try to write a piece on this soon.


• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
  
  Not sure about this, yet. I missed the first 2, but have played the other C&Cs. I don't really like the "CO-OP" feature of the single player. On the levels I've played so far it feels like the "CO-OP" player gets in the way especially when building a base. On the flip side, it is nice to have someone else there when large battles begin.


• Call of Duty: World at War
  
  After about 30 minutes of play the feeling of COD 4 started to come back. It never quite comes back completely and I am left longing for more play in COD 4, but going back to it now I feel would not be a good idea. I would have my butt handed to me by the elite players since I would have to start from scratch.I started up the single player once to see the visual difference in single vs. multiplayer.


• Left 4 Dead: Demo
  
  Playing in preparation for the full game. It feels like a TF2 with Zombies.


• Far Cry 2
  
  This game is massive. I am not captured by it as much as I am by Fallout 3. It is like GTA FPS and that makes it awesome.


• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
  
  Contrary to reviews, I see this as the best Spider-Man game to date. It has a few flaws that don't make sense, like webs that attach to nothing a lot of times. This was fixed in Spider-Man 2, but has digressed in this version.

Game Graphics (Part 2)

Check out part 2 of this great article

Game Graphics

There is a very interesting article written by Tino Kreiss at Tom's Hardware. It shows the evolution of lighting effects, characters, and rendering to make a game more realistic. There are some great examples of how far games have come in just a few short years.


Check out the article here: Reality Check (via Tom's Hardware)

Jukebox360's Ultimate Gaming PC on the cheap (part1)

I've decided to put together a guide with PC hardware that gets you a lot of bang for the buck. Here is what I would do...


The most important part of the computer is the motherboard. The "brains" of the system. For this component I chose the Gigabyte GA-G31M which supports up to the Intel Quadcore. It has a FSB of 1333mhz, as well and plenty of space for future upgrades. To keep it on the less expensive side, it has only a single PCI express slot (so, no SLI), but it won't matter for this rig. It also has onboard audio and plenty of SATA plugins. There is a single set of slots for memory which is perfect for this low cost rig. We will be running memory in dual channel mode on 32-bit Windows Vista.

Cost: $58.49



The next component I have chosen is the processor(CPU). For this I have chosen the Intel Q6600. The prices have come down enough that there isn't a reason not to get a quadcore. This will ensure that this machine will last even though we are trying to keep the upfront cost low.

Cost: $89.99



Now, the major components are out of the way. Let's focus on the next component, memory. Memory is important for overall system performance and gaming. Vista likes memory, so the more the better. The only downside is that we are using Vista 32-bit and with that comes the memory limit of 3.5GB. I've chosen to use Corsair's XMS2 series of memory. I've had a great experience with the speed and stability of this series. Overclocked, this memory can add a significant increase in performance. I currently have 3GB of XMS2 memory set at 5-5-5-12 timings and it gets a Vista score (not that it means much) of 5.9.

I couldn't find any sets of 3GB, so this is a 1GB stick and a 2GB stick.
1GB stick cost: $24.99
2GB stick cost: $40.99



If the motherboard is the "brain" of the system, then the power supply(PSU) is the "heart". It pumps the juice needed to power all of the components and it is important to choose a PSU with enough power, stability, and the right connections for your specific system. For this system, I chose the Corsair 750W PSU. It has enough connections for future upgrades and enough power to be used if the system were changed to a motherboard that supports SLI. I like to keep these things in mind, since I like to upgrade or change things frequently to keep up with changing tech.

Cost: $129.99 (current rebate on Newegg.com brings price to $109.99)



For a gaming pc, the most important component is a graphics processor that can handle today's games well. You want something that will give the high resolution, high fps gameplay that sets pc gaming apart from consoles. For this component I chose the EVGA GTX 260. It has enough power to run even the most demanding games (think Crysis) at high resolutions and smooth frame rates. It is pricey, but again, it will make this system last longer. The upfront cost is worth the longevity. This thing is a powerhouse.

Cost: $269.99 (current rebate on Newegg.com brings price to $229.99)



Next we need to add some drives for storage. For this I have chosen a Western Digital 150GB Velociraptor 10,000rpm drive as the main drive and a Western Digital 500GB SATA for a general backup drive.


WD Velociraptor cost: $179.99
WD 500GB SATA cost: $69.99


I went all out and chose a BluRay drive for the DVD drive. This will allow for viewing BluRay movies and it burns to BluRay discs. I chose the LG drive.

Cost: $234.99


To wrap all of this up and keep it cool, I chose the Raidmax Smilodon Extreme Black case. I am a huge fan of this case. It looks cool and stays cool with the fans it includes. It is easy to work inside, as the motherboard tray is removable and it has a large interior. The hard drive cage swings around and is removable. There are plenty of slots for DVD Drives and it even comes with a tool box hidden under the hard drive cage. The design has changed slightly from the original Smilodon, where the Extreme Black edition has a 120mm fan on both the front and rear. I can't say enough about this case.

Cost: $74.99 (current rebate on Newegg.com brings cost to $49.99)



Now for Extra Peripherals. These are not necessary to the system, but are recommendations for the system. Any components that you already own can be used.

Keyboard: Logitech G15

Cost: $89.99




Mouse: Microsoft Sidewinder

Cost: $41.49




Monitor: Samsung 22in LCD

Cost: $269.99 (current rebate brings cost to $249.99)



Overall cost of this awesome system...

$1094.40!
with the keyboard, mouse and monitor it brings th price to a total of...
$1475.87!

*prices do not include shipping/handling or Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit OS ($169.99) and are based on current prices as of 10/10/2008

Portal Prelude

I am eagerly awaiting this "suped-up" map pack. I don't think it can even be called a map pack. It is a whole new storyline fitting into the Portal canon. Check it out here. The story takes place prior to the Portal game, as the name suggests. Prior to the switch being flipped on Glad0s. The lab is, instead, monitored by humans. As for the rest of the story, game play and how it all ties together will be revealed in 7 days when the game is released.

Chris Gaines Design - - Official Site Launch

NOW LAUNCHED! chrisgainesdesign.com

Chris Gaines Design - Website

There hasn't been a lot of time for PC gaming. Most every bit of time I've had has been devoted to working on my portfolio site. Yes, I've finally gotten around to building my portfolio website. The site is well under way. The design has changed a few times before I decided on a simple presentation that focuses on the projects. I've added most of the web design and illustration sections. Photography and print are coming soon.

Check out chrisgainesdesign.com.

Currently Playing (update)...

1. Finished off Assassins Creed a few weeks ago. Can't wait for AC2.
2. Finished Gears of War (finally) on Casual. Preparing to go back in for the next level.
3. Finished Mass Effect, sadly. I didn't want this game to end. I just hope the continuation doesn't take too long to be released.

Other than that, I have discovered the iPod game by Square. The single best iPod game released to date. This stunning game is a full game, not just a quick "game on the go".

You can find out all of the information at the official site here, but this is my quick run-down...


1. The game starts off just like any Final Fantasy type game from Square would. You are introduced to the main character and the conflict they must overcome. In this case it is Ziggy and the conflict is that his younger brother has been kidnapped. Luckily, a strange old man, the Soul Master, comes out of nowhere to aid and saves you with the help of your magical pendant.

2. The scene quickly fast forwards to after you have spent some time training and becoming a "conductor". This is where you are introduced to the mechanics of the game's battles. At the "Hip-O-Drome" you begin building Tune Troopers by selecting songs from your iPod playlists. The game figures out from that song what your Trooper will look like and its battle stats. There doesn't seem to be much to the reasoning behind why the stats are chosen, but the Soul Master will give hints on what to choose at a specific time. He will say things like "choose a song with the word 'soul' in it". I chose a few different songs in different genres and the best character I came up with is Andre 3000's "Hey Ya" which gave me a "Special" rating, the highest rating available.

3. After you have "trained" by building your troopers (up to 16) you can move to the first city in the game. You are attacked and the game goes through a quick tutorial on how to deploy troopers and use their abilities in a fight.

It plays like a Final Fantasy Tactics other than the theme of using music to make characters. Even for those who don't typically enjoy RPGs, this was easy to pick up and fun to play.

THE DOWNSIDE: The game is great. The story is okay. The price is awesome for a full length game on iPod. So the only bad thing I can say about this is that the game drinks the iPods power to handle all of this awesomeness. I first loaded this up after a full charge from 0% (I had not used the iPod in a while). The first time I played it I got to the Hip-O-Drome and made my 16 tune troopers, started and won my first battle. At this point the battery was very near 0% again.

Spore Creature Creator - GrayGoyle

And here is another creation dancing...

Spore Creature Creator - Buzease

I created a character, which I decided to name "Buzease". Here is my post of it dancing.


I created this after watching the advanced creature creation tutorials which explain some great things that aid you in creating a more accurate depiction of what you envision. Here is the Advanced Creation of a Praying Mantis...



...other videos on creating these crazy things...

BUILDING


PAINTING

What in the world... (Spore)

I downloaded the Spore Creature Creator (free trial edition) and decided to finally try it this weekend. I started making a character. After putting the final touches on the creation, I saved it. At this point the ideas started churning in my head. I could make a cartoon character, a game character, a character from a movie, etc. I started my next character. It ended up looking like a mix between Dr. Octopus and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Some time had passed by now. I looked up at the clock. Wow, a lot of time had passed.

I was so engrossed in this simple program. I showed it off and other people were excited about it as well. The next day I went to the local B*$T B*Y and bought (used a $10 rewards ticket) the $9.99 retail "full" version of the creator. This unlocked all of the available body parts, colors, backgrounds, etc. You can upload videos of your characters dancing directly to YouTube. EA is even running a dance contest for the characters.

I love browsing through the Sporepedia and seeing all of the original creations and even variations of the same characters. I can't wait for the full game to come out. 74 days left.

If you haven't downloaded, at least, the trial version, do yourself a favor and do it now. Spore Creature Creator

Issues:

The only issue I have come across as of today is that two of my characters were not in my list in the game. The showed up online in my account, just not in the game. Thes session in which I created the characters had crashed. I had saved the characters, but something caused things to go screwy.

This is the fix if that happens to you (from Spore's community page) :

• Go to the Spore application data directory:
  Vista users: C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\SPORE Creature Creator\
  XP users: C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\SPORE Creature Creator\
  Mac users: Users\\Library\Preferences\SPORE Creature Creator Preferences\p_drive\User\Application Data\SporeCreatureCreator\


• Delete these two files: GraphicsCache.Package and ServerCache.Package


• Run the game. You should see your lost creatures restored in the Sporepedia under “Everything”


• To share them, open them in the editor and make any small change. Save and publish.

Voodoo Pc -- Revitalizing it's brand

Voodoo PC partnered with HP in 2006 and soon after released the Blackbird Desktop. The Blackbird was an art piece with nice hardware specs. The innovative design and layout of the interior set it apart from all other brands. Voodoo has brought their "Voodoo DNA" branding to the HP desktops.

Personally, I prefer the clean lines of the Voodoo brand over the older Alienware "skullcap" design. I was happy to see that Alienware had moved away from this on their newer laptops, but still provide the option to get the "skullcap" chassis. The Voodoo branded HP Blackbird Desktop was a sight to behold. Then you open the case and the clean design of the interior is amazing. It kind of reminds me of the way Apple had designed their G5 desktops with sectioned off areas for airflow. The panels are removable on both sides for modding and easy access. The tool-less design is always a perk for someone who loves to tinker with hardware. The attention to detail is amazing as well. There is even a slot for an allen wrench. The most intriguing part is the cable-less hard drive cages. Every motherboard/case should have this. This system was all about clean and cool. The PSU is modular to keep cabling down as well. Unfortunately, the main draw back of this beautiful system is the price tag. The case is available alone, but still carries a hefty price tag.

Voodoo has now release information on its plans for HP laptops with Voodoo DNA. These are also beautifully designed and rival anything Apple has released. The design is sleek and aggressive. Voodoo seems to be targetting the MacBook AIR with its small footprint and specs. Expect it to carry the Voodoo price tag, as well.



Here are the top specs:
13.3" WXGA High Def LED Display (1280x800)
Ambient Light Sensor
Large touchpad for multi finger tracking
LED backlit keyboard
HDD/SSD options are either an 80G HDD or 64GB SDD
External eSATA Super Multi-Drive

Ports include:
HDMI port (max res. 1920x1080)
Headphone out with Microphone in
2 speakers
1 USB
1 eSATA/USB 2.0 combo

Battery:
3-cell Lithium Ion
Up to 3hr 45min life (dependent on usage)

Still Playing Mass Effect...

This game draws me in like nothing prior. Bioware has really accomplished something here. I so easily gave up on previous Bioware games since I am not into long fetch quests, long (boring) dialogue, and other things that plagued the previous games. Mass Effect has a cinematic quality with wonderfully written dialogue, interesting characters, great action sequences, an intriguing story and a musical score that drives it all. I really don't want to spoil anything so I will just say that the music swells at the perfect moments. I have wiped the schedule of all other games and have invested all of my gaming time to this.

If you haven't already, go get this game.

Currently Playing (update)...

Okay, I've given up on KOTOR II for the billionth time. I just don't feel drawn in by it and quickly get bored with it. I have moved on to another Bioware game, Mass Effect. I have enjoyed what Bioware has done in the past. They improve with every new release. Jade Empire was more intriguing to me than either of the KOTOR games, even though I am a huge Star Wars nut.

I guess the major detail that I see improving, in my opinion, is the combat interaction. In the KOTOR games there isn't really a control over combat. It feels very removed. Sure, you can choose your weapon, type of attack and who to target, but I didn't feel like I was controlling the action. Jade Empire gave some of that control back. I felt like I had more control over the character in battle and therefore felt more immersed. Fast forward (>>) to the PC release of Mass Effect. I'll focus on just two of the major features to keep this post short.

Immersive World:
Bioware has create a huge world to explore in Mass Effect. The world feels more real and accessible than KOTOR's. It feels intuitive. From the moment I stepped into the Citadel I knew how to get where I wanted to go. Information signs and kiosks aid in navigation and the quick transport is there to zip you from one place to another in the blink of a loading screen.

The Codex is by far the best "PDA" device I have ever experienced in a game. Doom 3 had the PDA that allowed you to read emails or listen to messages while playing, but it doesn't come close to this genius device. The production value that went into just this device is a testament to the attention to detail that Bioware has put into this game. I normally don't even open the PDA device unless it has quest info, but this Codex compels me to open it each time a new snippet is added to it. The narrator that reads most entries about history or alien races is awesome. I don't just skim for important information, I want to listen to the whole thing. This really adds to the believability and immersion in this world of Bioware's creation.

Battle Mechanics:
I am not a huge fan of RPG's. As mentioned above, I don't really like not having control over my character. Bioware has given me back control over my actions in combat and I am grateful. The combat is similar to any 3rd person shooter. Bioware has taken the sort of upgrade system from KOTOR and made it more accessible. Weapons in this game are explained to be built for customization. There is a standard for weapon parts and these parts can be found throughout the game world.

As far as the actual combat goes, I am pleased with the amount of weapons you are able to carry. Each has it's own function. You start out with a pistol, machine gun, shotgun, and sniper rifle. They don't magically appear when you switch to them either.

The cover system is pretty good as well. When a weapon is drawn you can push into a wall or behind a crate and you will go into cover mode. It is similar to Gears of War. You can also command your squad to move or take cover similar to the Rainbow 6: Vegas games.


These are just a few quick observations and I hope to write more as I progress. The story is well written and I am intrigued to continue.

Animated Wall Painting

This is the most ridiculously awesome stop motion animation I have seen to this date...


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Currently Playing...

Here is what is in my current Games Explorer:

1) KOTOR 2
2) Turok
3) Rainbow 6: Vegas 2
4) Sins of a Solar Empire
5) Gears of War
6) Universe at War
7) Assassin's Creed
8) Call of Duty 4
9) Crysis

I like to jump around a lot, but I am mostly engrossed in KOTOR 2. I have always started and never committed to this game. I have decided to push myself to really get into it. Between sessions of KOTOR 2, I am playing Rainbow 6: Vegas 2. I loaded up Turok and have started it. It runs well on my laptop.

The one thing I've noticed in the 5-10 minutes of Turok play is the strange jolt of playing in 1st person and "sliding" into a 3rd person view when executing a "special" move like stabbing with a knife or climbing a ladder. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Maybe I will get used to it. Can't speak much for the story, yet.

Laptop Gaming, You Oxymoron.

High quality gaming on a laptop for less than $2000? Can it be possible?

Finally, the answer is YES.

For the longest time, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Sager, etc. have been the best gaming laptops available. The problem is there is a premium price for these awesome gaming beasts. For a high-end gaming experience expect to pay around $3000+.

iBUYPOWER --- $1939
» CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo Mobile T8100 Dual-Core Processor (2x 2.1GHz/3MB Cache/800FSB
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250 GB 5400rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

ALIENWARE --- $1924
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz 2MB Cache 667MHz FSB
» RAM: 4096MB(2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

SAGER --- $1934
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8100 / 3MB L2 Cache, 2.10GHz, 800MHz FSB
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

Falcon NW --- $4,121
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6750 2.66GHz
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) 800MHz
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX
» HDD: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

note: prices do not include shipping

The Falcon Northwest is by far the most expensive, but it also has the highest end components as its lowest available configuration. The other laptops are not too far off from each other in price. So, with that said, here is the Gateway configuration and why it is such a great price/performance advantage over the others...

Gateway P-6831 FX ---
» CPU: Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T5450 / 1.67GHz, 667MHz FSB
» RAM: 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
» HDD: 250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Okay, first let's get the negatives out:
1) CPU is the lower end Intel Core 2 Duo available
2) The hard drive is only 5400rpm
3) Removing the "bloatware" that Gateway pre-installs requires a little more setup time
4) RAM is slower than other configs
5, 6 & 7) Unfortunately, the Gateway P-6831 FX and P-6860 FX are the only P Series available at retail and BB has exclusivity to it for now and I'm not a huge fan of the BB.

Now for the positives:
1) The CPU is easily upgradeable, a feature not too often found on laptops. Gateway uses the Intel Socket P.
I checked prices on Newegg and a high end 2.5GHz Socket P CPU can be purchased for around $300. If you factor in the low initial cost of the Gateway laptop this makes the final price in the $1600 range. This nullifies the negative statement.
2) Dual Hard Drives can be easily configured.


I've have been running a few different applications to test out real world performance. Here is what I've done so far.

----------------
Case 1) Gears of War

Exhibit A - All settings on high, no DX10 effects/ no AA (there isn't much difference when DX10 is enabled anyway) 1440x900

Exhibit B - Game ran fairly smooth right off the bat. I had a few vertical tears and tried to figure out the problem. I reduced the resolution to 1280x720 and the problem was solved with barely a noticeable chance in quality.

Exhibit C - For some reason an occasional vertical tear will occur during the in-engine cutscenes.

Verdict: I was pleased overall with the performance I was getting out of this machine. I could hardly believe I was getting such a great frame rate on this laptop. It rivals my desktop.
----------------

----------------
Case 2) Assassin's Creed

Exhibit A - All settings on high, DX10, 1440x900

Exhibit B - I was really amazed that this ran so smoothly. It actually ran better on the laptop than my desktop for the sole reason that my home monitor only does 4:3 1280x1024. The laptop running in 16:9 eliminates the bars on the top and bottom, so I give it extra credit for that. The glossy screen also gives the colors a richer hue. The 512MB of RAM on the GPU (8800m GTS) gave it an advantage over my desktop which only has 320 (8800 GTS).

Verdict: Awesome. I was worried that this wouldn't run at the high resolution, but I was floored when I was smoothly running across rooftops in search of my next target. Beautiful.
----------------

----------------
Case 3) Crysis

Exhibit A - All settings on very high, DX10, no AA 1280x720

Exhibit B - It actually ran on VERY HIGH settings.

Exhibit C - For some reason an occasional vertical tear will occur during the in-engine cutscenes.

Verdict: I was pleased overall with the performance I was getting out of this machine. I could hardly believe I was getting such a great frame rate on this laptop. It rivals my desktop.
----------------

----------------
Case 3) Photoshop

Exhibit A - After looking at all of the gaming cases above, why would I need any evidence of the Photoshop power?

Verdict: This laptop can handle anything and I haven't even upgraded past the base config.
----------------

Aside from the performance power of these laptops, they also have a visual appeal to them, with FX branding on the hood and a nice copper accent around the keyboard, they don't say "Take me to work with you."

VGA Graded Games

I came across this article that referred back to GameSniped.com. A group called the Video Game Authority (VGA) has a grading scale, much like the scale used for comics, to grade a game's physical quality. This is both good and bad. The good is that video game collecting will have a little more than personal value. The bad is that a person can fake a perfectly sealed copy of Zelda and make it seem like it has never been opened, when in fact it has numerous scratches and cosmetic defects. I've fallen victim to this a few times at a local reseller. Not a big chain like EB or Gamestop or whatever they are now. This store would buy/trade for credit and resell the games. I've come across a few games that looked new behind their shiny coats of shrink wrap when, in fact, they had horribly scratched cases and fingerprinted disks. Hopefully, the Video Game Authority consists of a group that will be able to spot a fake or a re-seal.

The other down-side is, of course, that prices on retro game collecting will go up. It may not be as easy to get that original copy of Final Fantasy, Contra, Zelda, Bionic Commando, etc. for that awesome package deal of 100 NES Games for $50 on Ebay. I had purchased a couple of these lots a few years ago and got some great stuff for a great price. A few of these even had boxes complete with the original instruction manual and black plastic sleeve. Sweet.

Here is the original article...
VGA Graded Games

A Star Wars Lot



Adventures of Tron for Atari


The strange thing is that every game I've seen, so far, with the VGA rating is an 85 NM+.

Print Dying. Follow-Up News.

Here are a few articles that I found dealing with this issue of Games for Windows Magazine going online only.

Credit to Joystiq for the articles...
Print Gaming Journalism On It's Way Out

GFW Magazine Goes Online Only

...and here is one about Dan "Shoe" Hsu departing from Ziff Davis to pursue personal interests...
Dan "Shoe" Hsu Ends Long Career at Ziff

GFW Magazine Moves To Online Only - Is Print Dying?

While listening to GFW Magazine podcast, it was announced that GFW Magazine is moving to online only. All of the articles, news, reviews, and information has moved to the 1-UP space for GFW. No more print, which caused some casualties in the staff. The art staff that worked on the print magazine has been laid off. As a designer of print and web, my deepest sympathies go out to the art department. I really think they did a great job with the magazine. I anticipated each issue arriving in the mail. I think the design had really come along since the first issue and GFW Magazine was evolving into the best PC Gaming magazine available. I am really sad to see it go.

There is a wonderful tactile sensation that one gets from a printed piece that will be missed from the online version. The physical magazine can always be collected, referred back to and taken anywhere.The printed version is softer on the eyes than reading an article on a screen. I really hope that the articles have the same amount of time and effort put into them. I hope the ability to edit online articles quickly and easily does not affect the writing.

What about a commuter that flies and wants to read a magazine? The podcast is great, but the visual quality of the printed mag cannot be captured on an ipod or computer screen. What about when you want some bathroom reading time? You aren't going to take a laptop in there are you?

I really enjoyed GFW's print magazine and I'm going to miss it.

Adobe© Releases Photoshop© Express

Adobe^© has released their online version of Photoshop^©. This is a great way to do quick changes or access photos anywhere you are. The online application can be run full-screen and runs surprisingly quick. I am most impressed with some of the editing features that are available. The ability to "visualize" several options for changes on the fly are something I would like to see in a full version of Photoshop^© (ex. multiple variations of hue available on Express).

Above all it is free and there is a gallery, very much resembling Adobe^© Bridge, that holds 2GB of photos.

What are you waiting for? Check it out and sign up for your free account.
Adobe^© Photoshop^© Express

PC Upgrade!

I made a few significant modifications to my machine, since the post on AMD 4200+ over-clocking. Most significant is the processor upgrade. I've installed an AMD 5000+ Black Edition (2.6GHZ stock). The unique factor that makes this a "Black Edition" is the unlocked multiplier that allows for easy over-clocking.

I installed the new CPU with Arctic Silver thermal paste and attached it to my existing Hyper TX2 cooler. I booted up and everything was great. I shut-down the system and got ready for over-clocking. I immediately over-clocked the multiplier to x16 at it's stock core speed. Upon boot, the CPU was now running at 3.2GHZ!! This was awesome, since I didn't even have to up the voltage.

With that, I decided to shut-down and try for a little more juice. I cranked the voltage up on the memory and CPU slightly and kept the CPU multiplier at x16. From the stock speed I pushed the CPU speed up a few notches and rebooted. After a few reboots I finally got the CPU speed up to 3.3GHZ which seems to be the brink at which other over-clock test were maxing out at before the system became unstable.

AMD's 5000+ Black Edition is an amazing deal as far as price/performance goes. The CPU was on sale for $88 and it has been an amazing boost to my machine.


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Original Vista Score (AMD 4200+) : CPU score= 5.2 (CPU is the bottleneck) overall 5.2
New Vista Score (AMD 5000+ BE ) : CPU score= 5.5 (HDD is the bottleneck)overall 5.4
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Original 3D Mark Score* : 9,566
New 3D Mark Score* : 10,544
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*average after 3 tests


The real world performance vs. the synthetic game scores is much more significant. Applications load a lot faster (Photoshop opens in mere seconds), the system boots so fast I barely see the Vista loading bar screen,I am able to crank up the settings a little higher on games.

To go along with the CPU upgrade I also added another gig of XMS2 memory after CPU installation was complete. This brings the system to a total of 3GB of RAM at 4-4-4-12-2 timings.

*note that all of these test were run on Vista Business 32-bit with SP1 installed.

I've been busy lately...

Well, as you can see, I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been pretty busy working on designing a personal website/portfolio for my print, web design, and illustration. I've been able to play a couple of games in between and there have been some hardware changes on my rig since my last post.

I will detail more in the days to come.

Half-Life Episode 2 - Portal

I'm finally getting around to writing how I feel about Portal. I've played it through a number of times now and it hasn't gotten "old". The greatest thing about Portal, I feel, is the brevity. What Portal lacks in length, it makes up for in every other aspect.

The story is key in Portal. The twisted humor of GladOS is what keeps people talking about this experience. The writing in this game is "on point". I won't give away anything in the way of spoilers, because the story IS the experience in this, but all I can say is that VALVE has really kept the Half-Life experience cohesive. Portal exists in the same universe as Freeman and Black Mesa. After finishing Half-Life: Episode 2, it becomes clear of how much these two experiences relate, but again, no spoilers.

It is amazing at how compelled I was to re-play this so many times. The length of the game allows for this. Each time you learn more and pick up on things you may have missed previously. Its like watching a favorite movie over again. The developer commentary, a staple of DVD movies, is a wonderful addition. I love being able to hear the creators talk about the challenges, changes, and inspirations behind levels. This additional content, also, adds to the re-playability. The challenge levels are tough, but when you figure them out you feel a great sense of pride. The achievements are also a nice addition if you like obtaining "badges" for completing various requirements.

Remove the story, remove the "personality", and you essentially have a tech demo for this portal technology. That is why Portal is so great. It takes this concept of a portal creating device and engineers a compelling game play experience on top of it. Portal has a great amount of challenge with its thought provoking puzzles. The environment is stark and industrial. Almost hospital-like. The atmosphere that this sterility creates is claustrophobic and hopeless. There are no signs of life; no windows to the outside world. It is a prison. You feel like a mouse in a lab maze forced to try to find a way around these puzzles at the amusement of a disembodied voice.

All of Portal's parts combined make this one of the best examples of brilliant game design. The individual elements work together to make a statement. You are engaged in the story and not hindered by the gameplay. For something seemingly out of place in the Half-Life universe, it fits.

I can't wait to find out more in the next iteration of Portal and the relationship with Half-Life: Episode 3.
This game is a must play and I stamp it with a gold star.

Who is the target audience?

Mediocre package design for awesome PC gear. I think BFG tech has improved design significantly with their newest product line. EVGA has been rated the best hardware manufacturer, but their packaging is mediocre and remains unchanged from a few years ago. For those who do not keep up with the latest benchmarks and don't know a companies reputation for quality, they may pass over the EVGA brand to get the BFG. Better Box ≠ Better Product.

So why waste the time to create these horrible designs?
If I bought a graphics card with this packaging I would worry about how badly it was going to perform. Luckily, that isn't the case here, but still, I would rather just see a photo of the motherboard or graphics card. At least that would be more interesting.





For all the "monstrosities" go here.

BFG has improved their retail packaging significantly in the last year. When I first built my PC I used a BFG nvidia 7600 GT which came in a lackluster package. It was "nvidia green", gray and had a clear section to look at the GPU fan. Wow. They have simplified the visuals and ordered information in a much more appealing way. This grabs my attention when browsing the retail isle more than ridiculous 3D renderings, flashy hologram stickers or horrid colors.

It's not perfect, but it is much better.

Before

The packaging shows the product, which could be good or bad. In this case, the product is not designed in a visually appealing way. The average person wouldn't know what they are looking at, they would just see some circuits, resistors and a fan. On BFG's newer cards (ie. GeForce 8 series) the heat-sinks are shrouded in plastic or metal, which would be great to showcase.

After

BFG tech's new packaging is easier on the eyes. The information is ordered in such a way that the eye moves from one point of interest to the next. They reduced the ambient "noise" by using a solid background. They highlight the name of the card "Nvidia Geforce 8800 GT" in green. This green on black is consistent with the Nvidia branding. The green accent color is used to help the eye move to the next point of interest "512MB GDDR3 Memory", which is important information to highlight. The secondary, detailed information is smaller and more subdued. They have included a simple scale for consumers to compare between their other products on a retail shelf. This scale highlights a range from Good -> Better -> Best. This serves as a quick scale of comparison for the non-technical consumer, but doesn't give a whole lot of detail to the "tech-advanced" consumer. That is where the rest of the package comes in.

The bulk of the technical information is neatly arranged on the sides of the box. Unlike the boring, bulleted list on the old BFG box, this list is visually separated into information boxes. Icons are used to highlight technologies included in the hardware. The way that the side wraps around, using the same gray color, to the front edge with the Nvidia logo is nice. It should stimulate the consumer to pick it up and turn it around. Overall, the design works together instead of the elements fighting for attention. It is a step in the right direction for hardware packaging.

Overclocking - Part 2

I worked on over-clocking my rig this past weekend. I was able to balance memory and CPU speeds to get a stable performance boost. The AMD 4200+ is an amazing deal! Currently, you can get this processor for around $65. Out of the box it is clocked at 2.2GHz. There is so much give in the clock speed, that makes this such an amazing deal. From the article I posted in the last post, they were able to get to 3.0GHz!

I was able to get mine to 2.85GHz and set my memory timings from 5-5-5-12-2 @ 800mhz to 4-4-4-12-2 @ 555mhz. This balanced out the performance and made the system stable. I pushed the voltage up on the CPU to 1.5v and the memory to 2.0v.

I tested out the stability with a round of Crysis.

I set all settings to VERY HIGH. The game ran with a few little hiccups in framerate. Over all it was almost playable on VERY HIGH. This was a huge jump from the original settings. I wasn't even able to get it to load with VERY HIGH settings. The loading screen took less time, also.

I am very pleased with the performance I am getting now. Startup is a lot faster, windows snap open, applications load faster. I can't believe I waited this long to over-clock the CPU this much.

Overclocking

I haven't posted in a week, mostly because things have been busy. I finished Half-Life 2: Episode 2 in the last week and I'll talk about that in a future post. I've been reading and trying to learn more about overclocking. I have already overclocked my PC to decent settings for my rig, but I felt that it could go higher if I understood more about how it works.

Currently, this is my rig:

• EVGA 590 SLi board
  
• AMD 4200+ 2.2GHZ (stock) OC'ed to 2.65GHZ w/ a HyperTX2 cooler
  
• 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 800mhz (PC2 6400) set to timings 5-5-5-12
  
• XFX 8800GTS 320MB OC'ed to Core: 650mhz, Shader: 1400mhz, Memory: 1000mhz.
  
• Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Soundcard
  

The case I use is a Raidmax Smilodon, which I highly recommend to anyone. It is easy to work in, has ample upgrade space and has plenty of cooling. Raidmax has a newer version of this case, The Aztec, and it is slightly better due to its use of a 120mm exhaust fan. The difference in price is about $20, so it may or may not be worth it.

I have tweaked some BIOS settings to bring the CPU up to 2.7GHZ, but I need to spend more time with balancing the memory speed/timings and the CPU speed.


For those with the AMD 4200+, I suggest this article if you are interested in OC'ing. Part1(air-cooling) & Part2(water-cooling)

The Orange Box - part1

I've been experiencing the various games in the Orange Box a little bit at a time since Christmas. Call of Duty 4 had taken over all of my gaming time. I climbed to level 55 in multiplayer and I'm not sure about going back. With this achievement out of the way, I have decided to go back to the Orange Box and give it some attention.

I had played through the original Half-Life 2 on PC when it was originally released. I wasn't a big fan of the whole "Episodic" game plan, so I never picked up Episode One. I became occupied with the countless PC games that were released between the time of Half Life 2 and the Orange Box and had put the Half-Life universe out of my mind.

That is where this story begins.

When Orange Box was announced, the one game that caught my attention was Portal. Having been a big fan of Prey, Portal was my cup of tea. I loved the idea of the confusing space. Prey took the idea to a point, but you were never able to control the portal. There were interesting moments where a portal would take you into a space that was smaller than the original and you would suddenly become miniature (ie. Alice in Wonderland style). The scene I'm referring to, if you have played the game, is when you come across an basketball-sized orb encased in glass, almost like a museum piece. Tommy goes through a nearby portal and is transported to a portal on the orb. It was really disorienting.

I was looking to Portal to take this to another level. The hype was high. The viral website gave clues, but also created more questions about the story. I was ready to buy the Orange Box on this one element.

I will review each element separately in the posts following this.

Nvidia Graphics Driver Widget

Nvidia has released a widget that allows driver search to be incorporated into another site. I feel it is important to keep updated on the driver releases as most improve performance/features. It comes in two "flavors", horizontal or vertical, depending on the space you would like to fit it in. The code can be obtained here: Driver Widget

First Post!

This is my first blog post. I would like to use this blog as a forum to discuss PC Gaming News, Reviews and Hardware.