deucedriver's Blog - 2old2play

Boycott of Gamespot?

Just read about this if you haven't heard.

There is a petition here.

Looks like we should be prepared for even more "fluff" in online reviews. Integrity yields to the almighty $$$ once again.

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My Week of Techno Hell...

I think I must be a walking magnet - everything remotely related to computers and technology has fallen apart on me this past week. Pardon me while I vent:

Tech Hell #1 - My wife calls me on the road and says the Internet is not working at our house. Arrive home, reset the cable modem and router, back up. Wake up, off again. Apparently my cable company has accomplished a "speed" upgrade and my router is not liking it. I go online and find a massive group of folks from around the country having the same problem with said router. Upgrade firmware - no dice, purchase a newer model - no dice. Return new router to Fry's and purchase another brand - great success. Problem one solved after 3 days and hours of pain.

Tech Hell #2 - About to walk out the door to play hockey and the kids are frantic on "movie night" that the T.V. is not working. The "damn remote" is blamed. My DLP is flashing lights, motor is running, no picture. Have to do a hard reset and all is well. I skate onto the ice just in time for the puck drop. Old guys need warmup, no worries though, score a goal on a slapshot from the point in the first period, so something is going right!

Tech Hell #3 - I'm just about to do a major upload to some website businesses I run when I can't get my e-mail. Try to restart my e-mail server with no luck. Keeps shutting down. Call tech support and they find one of my accounts has been hacked and the hacker attempted to send a massive amount of e-mail. Their system catches this and immediately shuts the mail server down. 5 days now, no business e-mail. The tech says I need to upgrade my server software version(free) and we do it, at which point I lose all my websites (as expected). I arrive home to upload my backup content, but now none of my url's will resolve. They are "working on it"

Tech Hell #4 - Between Tech Hell #1 and #2 I get the red lights of death on my 360. Ugggh! My launch day console was doing so well!! I go through the hardrive disconnection steps three times, works twice then nothing. I call for my coffin. Two hours later I turn on my 360 to retrieve a disc and it boots right up. What do I do now? The coffin is on the way! I allow my two boys to play some marathon sessions of XBL games to try and break my system again. Doesn't work. This morning (first day I've been home since last Wednesday) I read the site and see that the Bioshock demo is out. I turn on my 360 to download -RROD! AGGHHHH! Coffin arrives this afternoon. My 360 is on the way to Texas as we speak.

I was looking forward to playing Bioshock on day 1 but I guess I will have to wait. Which leads to Tech Hell #5

I'll just play my PS3 - oh wait, there aren't any good games out on that system yet! AGGGHHHH!

So, I can't fix my websites, can't play games, guess I'll have to watch Hell's Kitchen tonight with my wife.

To be continued.....

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The game I'm patiently waiting for...

Brothers in Arms; Hells Highway. This video is over 13 minutes, but it is impressive. I still wish MS would add backward compatibility to the earlier games in the series.

Here is the video.

If you want a decent movie about Operation Market Garden, check out A Bridge Too Far.

Cheers,

Deuce

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What am I missing here?

Someone help me out, I must be missing something. I added a comment to a fellow 2old2play blog yesterday, went to see if there were anymore comments later, but couldn't find the blog!

Where are the blogs? Once the blog moves out of the "top 7" how do you visit (other than bookmarking it)?

I've searched all of the menus and can't find a "user blogs" entry or anything else. I can only find the 7 on the top of the site. Someone please be my seeing eye website helper!

Cheers!

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Sport Games No More...

So you have a 360 and a PS3 - which version of a game do you purchase?

I gave my opinion in an earlier blog post, for me the 360 version wins because of acheivements. It's that "little extra" that makes a difference.

I'm now modifying my statement and sport game buying will never be the same again.

The victor: The Wii!

I've been playing TIger Woods for the Wii and it is addictive and like so many of the other sport games on the system, just a lot of fun to play. Sure the graphics may not be up to the 360 or PS3 standards, but who cares? You are immersed in the game! I hope we see more "complete" games like Tiger Woods. I say complete because Wii Sports seems to be a technology demonstration (and party game) versus a game that will have some longevity.

After playing several rounds of Tiger Woods I can only think of how fun a tennis game (Virtua Tennis anyone?), or boxing game (FN3) would be.

I'm a big hockey fan and have some doubts about how it would work on the Wii, but I'd like to see the wiimote used as a stick. It would make the "skill stick" in NHL 07 seem old school.

With the right software, the Wii can be more than a novelty.

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PS3 Movie Night - Hardware Review, Sony Announcement

If you've read my blog in the past, you know I have had my share of criticism at Sony. I don't have any for the Blu-Ray portion of the PS3, they did an amazing job.

Sony and New Formats

Sony typically puts very good components in the first generation of a new format they are trying to push. Case in point is my Sony DVP-9000. The DVD player was released as one of the first "all-in-one" players to push SACD. I really enjoy music and over the years put together a good sound system. A high-end journal I subscribed to turned me on to the DVP-9000 to use as a SACD player. I picked mine up on E-bay for a few hundred dollars. Sony put some of their best SACD hardware into this player and the SACD playback is within shades of players that cost over $5000. It is amazing, and was part of Sony's push for the format. The consumer clearly won with that player (it was about $1000 new).

Video Quality

I think Sony has done something similar with the PS3. The Blu-Ray playback is outstanding and Flyboys is a movie you can use to really show off the format with your HDTV. My set is a Samsung 50" DLP with a max resolution of 720P, so I can only imagine how it would look at 1080P. Even at my resolution it blew me away. There is one scene with the pilots about to load into the airplanes where the texture of the jackets was so clear, you could sense the softness of the leather. It was almost like you were standing there.

The fast moving aerial scenes were rendered flawlessly, with no stutter at all. The initial takeoff over the French countryside, starting in formation, moving over the water with the music building is a great "show off" scene for the player.

The Blu-Ray playback on the PS3 has been highly praised by many reviewers. Several have said it is the best player on the market, and sells for less than the stand-alones. If you read AVS forum you will hear from several people who bought the unit only for Blu-Ray playback. They won't be disappointed.

Audio Quality

The audio soundtrack is excellent with a moving orchestral score and of course, a lot of machine gun fire and explosions. A little bit of everything to push your sound system.

The PS3 playback was crystal clear and spacious. The bass was deep with floor shaking explosions and the machine gun fire resonated in my chest. The soundtrack was well produced and the PS3 did not limit it at all.

Another great "demo" product.

PS3 Blu-Ray vs. X-box 360 HD-DVD

To be fair, I can't give a completely accurate video review because the 360 outputs component vs. HDMI for the PS3. The Samsung is a far better set with HDMI, so the comparison is not equal. In all honesty, even with my set it's a toss-up. Both players look amazing with good HD material. You can't lose with either one in the video realm. There are a couple of features of the HD-DVD pop-up menu system I like better, but it wouldn't be enough to sway me either way.

The one problem the 360 add-on player has is audio - it stinks. The PS3 just blows it out of the water in this area. I have tried several options with the 360 and had no luck. The audio is not as clear and spacious and it lacks the deep bass. It sounds muffled. This problem is only with the HD-DVD player, games are fine. In fact, you have to crank up the audio when watching a DVD, but the system sounds are still loud, especially the pop-up menu. MS has acknowledged the problem, but no fix has been delivered.

The audio track on the 360 HD-DVD player is good, but not great like the PS3.

Sony's Living Room Future

There is obviously a move to take over the home entertainment center by both MS and Sony. Sony is behind, especially in connectivity and downloadable content, but that is changing. Sony has just announced movie downloads in the future. Combined with their movie production this will be another "format" war - but really more of a brand war. We may not see movies out of the Sony house on the X-box anytime soon.

MS does have a big advantage with Windows. I'm running the 360 as an extender for a Vista machine and it works seamlessly (review in the near future). The ability to seamlessly attach to the number one operating system in the world is a big plus. Sony notoriously doesn't play well with MS or Apple. Ease of use is a huge issue when making a push to conquer America's living room.

Does the Format War Matter?

In the end this may all be a moot point. While still in its infancy, the MS download service has made a believer out of me. The HD downloads are excellent, and even if I have to make my choice a day or afternoon early to enable time for the download, it's still easier and faster than waiting for a DVD to arrive by mail. In time and with enough storage space I foresee a download "queue" similar to Netflix that allows downloads to occur during the evening or on a flexible schedule (hint, hint Microsoft).

Sony's announcement only makes the future of downloadable content all the more certain.

The Future

If the whole format war is moot, and downloads are the future, it makes the entire console war strategy interesting. Sony delayed product for Blu-Ray and created a more expensive entry level with a format which may or may not make it. But, they put in 60 gig of HD space which is plenty for several downloads.

MS offered the HD-DVD as an add-on and got to market first, but with a hard drive that doesn't really have enough space to hold much for the HD solution that may be the winner. Supposedly a larger HDD model is coming.

There have been mistakes by both sides, and the next year or so will be very interesting.

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PS3 Blu-Ray Movie Night - Flyboys Pt .1

I just finished watching Flyboys (Blu-Ray) on the PS3 and I really enjoyed the movie. I'll give a full review in two parts. First the actual movie and tomorrow the hardware review.

Flyboys the Movie

This flick was roasted in the reviews,so I didn't have high hopes. But being a flyer, an aviation history buff, looking for some material to watch on the PS3 and a desire to refresh my memory and see a "historical fiction" piece about the Lafayette Escadrille, I added it to my Netflix queue.

If you aren't familiar, the Lafayette Escadrille was a group of volunteer Americans who flew for the French in WW I before the U.S. entered the war. Aviation was in its infancy, and this diverse group of people fought and died as a volunteer French squadron.

The history gets a typical hollywood treatment with some excellent flying scenes, the usual personal trials and of course a love interest. It runs about 2 hours and 20 minutes, and I thought he pacing was good. The movie does a great job in the flying scenes depicting the very close range dogfights these pilots endured. There is also an excellent scene that captures the reality of fighting against a zeppelin.

The love story isn't too painful and adds a little suspense to the film. For some reason almost every movie has to have one. I was able to endure it better than the love story in Pearl Harbor.

The Must See

If you do rent or purchase the movie, you absolutely must watch the special features, especially the short documentary about the real Lafayette Escadrille. I learned about them in college (it was a required memory item my freshman year) and the features bring out some great facts that really add to the movie. They talk about the real volunteers and how they match the characters in the movie and the short about the squadron's lion mascots is interesting. Yes, they had lions. It made me feel kind of wimpy since we only had two black cats as our squadron mascots in Korea, and one was fat and diabetic.

If you are an aviation fan and want to learn about a time that is almost forgotten in our lacking history education, rent this movie and watch the special features.

Tomorrow the technical review and some info about the PS3 and Blu-Ray

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New X-Box Live Game - Wing Commander

Just read this article on Planet X-box, and I must admit this is the first Live game I've actually been excited to see announced - Wing Commander. The game was great on the PC, and this version sounds like it will be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to some 2old2play battles.

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Brothers in Arms - Can't Wait!

I found this interesting article over on Planet X-box. The game is supposed to be released April 2.

The first Brothers in Arms was one of my favorite games for the X-box. I wish they would add it to the compatibility list! The game got me back into console gaming after taking a layoff due to work, family, etc.

If you read my blog you know I was active duty for a long time and still in the reserves so a historically realistic game like this is right up my alley. The new multiplayer option should be a blast, especially now that I've found the 2old2play crew.

Yet another game to add the the want list, which is growing much too fast. It's hard to imagine what it was like last year with so few prospects. 2007 is turning out to be a great year for gaming.

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Sony Stinks...

Since I have the 360 and PS3, I guess I can't be called a "fanboy" for either one, but I know it seems like I have been picking on Sony lately. Well, I've thought about it and my conclusion is - so what.

As a consumer I shouldn't have any mercy on this pathetic introduction. I think Sony needs to be criticized, and who knows, if enough people do it maybe they will come around.

The latest saga: Full Auto 2 Demo. Downloading this has been a 4 hour ordeal. My Internet connection (cable) is fast, I've never had a problem. I know there is a lot of traffic on their servers today (since we are all starved for content!), but come on. Also, you can't do anything else when downloading so the machine is out of commission. Anyway, a couple hours into the download attempt it stopped and I "lost connection to server". Time to start again.

The demo finally downloaded and I was very underwhelmed. To me, a non-textured, flat wall, no matter how fast is goes by, is not exciting. I should have downloaded the HD trailer of Ghost Rider instead. I played a few races vs. the AI, then went online to play some Gladiator. You could say this would be a rental, but then again, why? There are no gamer points to get, so I would get nothing out of it, except a waste of my time.

MS hasn't been perfect with the online system, and they have had some issues during high load times. At least they acknowledge it. You can go to the Major Nelson blog and know someone is there, trying to make the online system the best it can be. The banners on X-box Live tell of upcoming events and downloads. No such luck in Sonyland, just the same NBA Live 07, Blast Factor, etc. stuff over and over since last year.

"Hello, McFly!" is anyone home in Sonyland!?!?!?

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Motorstorm PS3

I just found these two gameplay videos, one is in HD(ish).

HD Version

Standard Version

I've had a lot of fun playing the demo on the PS3. Actually, other than Resistance multiplayer, that's about all I play on the thing.

I'm looking forward to playing more than one track!

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Benchwarmers+PS3+No Self Control = Busted!!

Yesterday my wife and I sat down to watch The Benchwarmers on the PS3 (Blu-Ray compliments of NetFlix - Sweeeet). If you've seen the movie you know early on there is a scene where one of the bullies gives a geek "beef stew". My 7 year old son sneaked into the room about this time, and all of the sudden we hear a giggle growing into a uncontrolled laugh growing into falling over crying from laughing so hard.

The whole thing was funnier for my wife and I than the scene in the movie. I've never seen him laugh so hard.

Anyway - busted! Now back to your room!

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Completely Next Gen - Some Thoughts

I was able to pick up a Wii this past weekend so now we're completely "next-gen". There is a method to my madness, but I'll explain that later. In the meantime here are some observations on the "console wars":

X-box 360

If you dust off the cobwebs and think back to the release of the orginal X-box, you'll remember Microsoft's marketing plan for the entire X-box franchise. The original was just a foot in the door so to speak. It was out later than the PS2, it was from the "evil company" from WA, and Sony Fanboys were laughing - how could they ever compete?

There was always a long term plan for the console to be a way to enter the living room and be ever more present in our lives. The X-box 360 is the next iteration in this plan and I have to say MS has done a great job. Oh, there have been some issues here and there, but overall, being first to market, making life easier for developers, pushing online play in generation one so that it was polished for the 360, and not worrying about HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray were great decisions. More about the HD and online decisions later.

Now, over a year after launch the console is mature, has more great games on the way than most people can play and is really hitting its stride. As media extender it also does a great job - the invasion of America's living room is underway.

PS3

The king of gaming! How could they falter? Well, falter they have.

Remember back to introduction of the PS3, Wii and 360. Sony laughed at MS claiming they were rushing to market, there was no HD movie solution, there would be no games since there was no time to develop! Remember even further back to the PS2 vs X-box war when Sony criticized MS for including online access claiming there were not enough people with broadband to make it worthwhile.

Sony had a year to "perfect" the PS3 and get all those great games ready to bury the X-box once and for all. So here we are and we have (drumroll please).... Resistance:Fall of Man. Wow. Developers are griping about the console and the online system, well, it's not X-box Live to say the least. The biggest event for Sony now - the release of GoW II on the PS2. Come on! Maybe I'm a little harsh, but this is mismanagement and blundering on a massive scale.

On the plus side: the console is powerful, sleek, and games are sure to come. I'm looking forward to them. In the meantime I have to play the already great games on the 360. If the same game is out on both consoles which will I choose? Read my previous blog post to find out.

There are so many PS2's in the world that eventually a significant number of people will migrate. Unfortunately for Sony they have allowed MS to make serious inroads into the market and erode their market share.

Wii

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
- Sun Tzu

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War

Apparently someone at Nintendo is reading their Sun Tzu. Nintendo has pulled off a coup and was very smart about this console generation.

There was no reason to attack MS and Sony head-on. Going for the "serious" gamer would have been carnage. They avoided "what is strong" and attacked a weak point for both MS and Sony - the casual and family gamers. What they did is amazing, but the story isn't finished yet.

The Wii is a lot of fun. My wife loves it, the kids love it and it's something we can all do together. The question will be is it more than a gimmick? Will there be millions of Wiis unused this time next year? The trick is going to be generating new games that use the controller in a unique way. The Wii will always be great for play with people new to gaming, but we'll have to wait and see if it has legs.

If you want a fun system to play with family and friends, you will like the Wii. You may want to try it out first to see if you won't get bored with it in the future. Even though it costs less than the other consoles, once you take into account another controller and games, it's still a hefty investment.

In my opinion, the Wii is so different from the other consoles it is in a category by itself. You really can't compare it with the PS3 and 360. It stands alone.

Some Random Thoughts about the Wii, 360 and PS3

The real "next-gen" battle for serious gamers is between the 360 and PS3. If you are a serious gamer and have a family or want to play with your non-gamer friends, you will probably end up with a Wii and either a 360 or PS3.

MS really got caught with their pants down with the Internet. Remember Netscape? MS had to play catch-up. They are a smart company and weren't going to be caught again. I think that is why they pushed broadband play on the X-box, and now it is a wonderful product on the 360.

Irony

Sony laughed at the online gaming movement in the previous generation and decided to offer it as an add-on later.

Microsoft laughed at delaying a product to include some sort of HD movie experience in this generation and instead offer it (HD-DVD and movie downloads) as an add-on later.

Who's further ahead now?

The promise of another year of game development by Sony did not bear any fruit. In hindsight, maybe they should have ditched the Blu-Ray and just launched their product at the same time as MS. I think things would be a lot different now.

It will be fun to revisit this topic next year and see where we are.

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Upgrade finished, almost...

The HTPC upgrade to Vista is almost complete. I say almost because there is a problem. First the good:

The actual Vista upgrade went well, no lockups, no failures, connects to the Internet, drives my Samsung DLP
Media Center looks great
The 360 hooked up as an extender first time, no problems and works like a charm
The guide for OTA broadcast and DVR functions are working
Aero interface looks niiiiice (in my best Borat voice)!

The problems (if there weren't problems it wouldn't be Microsoft, would it?):

Vista Media Center now does region checking. Apparently my DVD player is so old it doesn't have it, so I can't play DVD's in Media Center
Live HDTV stutters when watched directly on from the HTPC, but it is smooth as silk over the 360 extender!

The stuttering while watching HDTV (live or recorded) stinks. I've researched it and it is very common. Apparently there is no DVXA accomplished in Vista for now, the drivers are all being rewritten by MS (their codec) and the individual video card vendors. The problem is widespread and a hot topic on a lot of forums.

So in the short term I am moving my HTPC out of the family room and using it over my home network with the 360 extender. It works very well, and won't be a problem. I'll make a final placement decision when the driver issue is fixed.

If you are considering this upgrade, be forewarned, the live HDTV is a problem and you may want to wait. A lot of people have switched back to XP until this is resolved.

Oh in the meantime here are a couple of vid's I found (maybe you've seen them):

Halo 3 Stuff

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Cheers!

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Step 1 of the Upgrade, PGR3 and GT:HD

Step 1 of the HTPC upgrade is complete - the addition of another 512 meg of RAM to bring the total to 1 Gig. I ran the Vista upgrade wizard and according to MS I should have no problems -- riiiight. We'll see. I have to go out of town for a few days, so I'm waiting to do the heavy lifting until I return. I hate leaving something halfway finished and then having to leave.

I played some more PGR3, picked up a few accomplishments I had neglected, and then it was back to GT:HD on the PS3. It's a shame this wasn't a launch title. The game is beautiful, it's fun to race around in cars a person may actually see on the road (Infiniti GS!) and the physics are sweet. Oh, what could have been.

GT and Resistance have been all that I've enjoyed playing on the PS3 (well, other than the Motorstorm demo, I can't wait to get the entire game). The story in Resistance has me less than thrilled, but the online Deathmatch has been a blast. I haven't played a 40 person game yet, but have done a few 32 player matches. No lag, smooth as silk and a total blast. We need to set up a 2o2p clan prefix on this game.

I'm slowly weaning off GoW, of course until someone sends me an online invite. I know you guys just like an easy kill! RB6:V is the game of choice and I'm starting to dig into the story. They did a great job with this game. Send my an invite or join in when you see me online, I can always use the help.

Stay tuned for the upgrade Part II...

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