Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Mass Effect was a game I was completely prepared to pass by without a second look. After-all, it was an RPG from the guys that made the original Knights of the Old Republic. While that excited many people, it turned me off instantly. I have never been a huge RPG fan, and the turn-based combat of KOTOR did nothing for me. After hearing so many great things about Mass Effect, I picked it up on sale one day, and ended up playing it through 3 full times. Needless to say, its sequel is a…
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
One of the toughest things a freelancer faces, is managing one’s schedule and allotting enough time for all the things that he or she is responsible for. This is much different than what someone at a typical day job would face. Instead of simply managing your own tasks, you have several areas that need to be covered and finding time for them all can be tricky. Especially when it comes down to “billable time”, and prioritizing tasks based on their value and necessity. Jon Hicks wrote a great article titled Why You Can…
Monday, January 4th, 2010
I can already hear some of my PC readers crying, “Apple fanboi!” And rightly so. Although, it was never my intention to be one of those guys. I made the switch to Apple just over 3 years ago, after growing tired of the upgrades and OS re-installs that coincide with running a PC. Now, all the computers and every hand-held media player in my household is made by Apple, and I don’t hear anyone complaining. Best of all – I don’t have to play the roll of computer tech on a regular basis.…
Monday, December 21st, 2009
A game like New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a no-brainer for veteran gamers who grew up with and loved the classic Nintendo 2D platformers. Chances are, if you look back on Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World with fond memories, you won’t find much to complain about in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. But is that enough to make it a viable current generation game? The nostalgia value, combined with some minor improvements and enhancements to the core gameplay, along with the addition of 4 player co-op, makes New Super Mario…
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
People are dumb – an assumption you can safely make when referring to patrons of the internet. The vast majority need you to spell things out for them or they’ll rage out, or simply pass by completely oblivious. At the same time, instruction nearly has to be force-fed to some that fall into the “internet moron” category. As a web designer, I’m constantly faced with the task of figuring out how to best get the point across without sacrificing form and function.
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Assassin’s Creed was a huge hit for some, a massive fail for others. While I found great pleasure in roaming the countryside on horseback, picking fights with anyone who so much as looked in my direction. Others found it mundane and the sheer lack of variation in mission objectives tedious. Combat was also an acquired taste, as it’s slower and more methodical than simply running and gunning. There are no frag grenades to toss here. You’re taking dudes down one-by-one in hand-to-hand combat. Where Altair (the protagonist in the original game) fell flat, Ezio…
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
A few months back I made the switch from iMac to MacBook Pro + Cinema Display. Mostly for the added portability the MBP brings to the table. One problem I was presented with right out of the gate, was where to put the MBP while I was working. I have an mStand, but I don’t really need the extra screen real estate, and the size of my physical desktop pretty much nixed that approach anyway. I resorted to simply lying the MBP down on my desk, which was less than ideal.…
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
I’ve never been big on handheld gaming, especially in recent years. This has a lot to do with my work situation and the fact that I’m very much a home body. Given that whenever I’m on the move, I’m typically the one behind the wheel, there simply aren’t many opportunities for me to spend time with handheld gaming device. Factor in the lack of desire to stare at a small screen for extended periods and my preference to lounging on the couch gazing at my 40″ TV screen, and we’re not left with many…
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Though the Ratchet & Clank series has been around since the early days of the PS2, my first experience with the lovable Lombax and his robotic buddy was with the 2007 release of Tools of Destruction on the PS3. I was immediately drawn into the game, as it possessed just the right amount of platforming and collecting items to make an old(ish) gamer feel nostalgic, with equal parts modern goodness that really rounded it out. A Crack in Time is the third game in the Ratchet & Clank Future series, which inevitably completes the…
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune came out of nowhere, completely captivated and engaged me with a beautiful setting, fantastic voice acting which made the characters believable and likable, and a story that I was wholeheartedly interested in. The fact that everything else was equally top notch, placed Uncharted on my top games of this generation list. Whenever a friend picked up a PS3, the first recommendation I made was Uncharted. So needless to say, its sequel is a game I’ve been looking forward to since I completed the original game, nearly two years ago.
