Xenosaga Episode II: Picture

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose

By Jeremy Dunham
"February 9, 2005 - Despite the fact that it's only two months old, 2005 has been a disappointing year for RPG sequels. Konami's Suikoden IV and Sony Online's Return to Arms, for example, have both failed to become the classics we anticipated them to be. Though technologically superior to their predecessors and near-identical in respect to the gameplay,..

Just like Suikoden IV and Return to Arms before it, Xenosaga II is definitely a good game -- and one that diehard Xenies will no doubt go crazy over -- but also like Suikoden IV and Return to Arms, Jenseits von Gut und Bose is missing the high level of personality and gameplay progression that made their progenitors such classics in the first place." Read Full Story

Basically, like all sequels Xenosaga II was a disappointment. I think all sequels tend to be worse then the first because the makers get excited that their product was a hit, and then they lose focus and start worrying about the overall look. Xenosaga was a great game, but it looks like the story wasn't looked at long enough.

My Blog

I'm new to the whole blogging thing and I was wondering what people would like to see on my blog. I've been jumping around on titles trying to find a good focus. I couldn't really make up my mind so I was hoping you could tell me what you have an interest in relating to technology. Please comment suggestions. Thanks.

Maple Story: Screenshot

Maplestory

Maplestory is a 2d massively multiplayer online role playing game. If you think a 2d online game couldn't be done, your wrong. The 2d garaphics flow very smoothly and they're really detailed. But it's only extremely fun for the first 10 levels. When you get to higher levels you almost want to cry because you get so little expierience points. But that's not the whole point of the game. There are tons of many games to play and items to collect.
The game has a cash shop so you don't have to pay any monthly fee. Even with them not having a charge the service is great. I've been playing for a long time now and I probably won't be stopping any time soon.

TimeShift

By Andrew Park
What first-person shooters have in common these days is that they are action games in which you make your way through the story shooting down your enemies, all performed from a first-person perspective. Recent shooters have incorporated all kinds of new and different stuff, like team-based play, vehicles, tactical squads, and plenty of other features that have moved away from the traditional, one-guy-with-a-gun-against-the-whole-world model. That's not to say that there isn't room for this original kind of shooter anymore. In fact, an example of the traditional shooter can be found in the newly announced TimeShift, from developer Saber Interactive and publisher Atari, a futuristic sci-fi shooter that... Read Full Article

Doom 3's Release Date

By Douglass C. Perry

February 9, 2005 - After months of quietly ignoring the slow, tortuous delay of Doom 3 on Xbox, Activision and id Software today confirmed the Xbox version of Doom 3 and the PC expansion, Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, will ship during the week of April 4, 2005. The Xbox version of Doom 3 ($49.99) features the full single-player campaign from the PC version, has Xbox Live support, and, yes, contains the anticipated online two-player cooperative campaign. Read Full Article

Is the Tablet PC Worth It?

Microsoft has come out with a new notebook/pda/computer. It's like a notebook, but you can twist and turn the screen anyway you like. The screen can be touched like a pda and it still seems to be as good as a notebook. It costs about $1,600. Now why couldn't we just buy a notebook? Personally I thought it looked cool, but why wouldn't I just go get something around the same size or better for less money. If anyone knows more about it then me, could you maybe explain why it's so much better.

Natural Battery

Hitachi's Natural Battery

A new, all natural battery has been invented by Hitachi. It generates electricity by taking in oxygen from the air, then giving off water vapor and carbon dioxide. The life of the battery has not yet been determined, but it's expected to run on mobile devices such as notebooks, and PDAs.

The First Supercomputers?

A team of IBM, Sony, and Toshiba engineers collaborated on the development of the new "Cell" Microprocessor. Their prototype chip is 221 mm 2, integrates 234 million transistors, and is fabricated with 90 nanometer SOI technology. To sum up the statistics, the microprocessor is about ten times better then the current microprocessors. Cell will be capable of multiple real-time operating systems, and guest operating systems for various programs.
Highlights of Cell
1. Cell is a breakthrough architectural design -- featuring eight synergistic processors and top clock speeds of greater than 4 GHz (as measured during initial hardware testing)
2.Cell is a multicore chip capable of massive floating point processing
3.Cell is OS neutral and supports multiple operating systems simultaneously

Are Security Cameras Worth It?

In this day and age people have a lot more valuable items, and personal belongings that other people want. Is it necessary for people to be so worried about people stealing their stuff? I think that maybe it could be used if the person knows there's a person stealing, but what if people just want it because their paranoid. It really does make you think. Is the theft rate increasing? Or are people's fears increasing? It would seem kind of sad if a few years from now everybody's homes were installed with them. What do you think? Please comment on how you feel.

Nintendo DS

In November Nintendo realeased another handheld system call the DS. The Nintendo DS has a backlit normal screen and a touch screen. The touch screen let's players be able to feel like they're really touching something. The dual screens are also used as one big screen, making it bigger then the PSP's screen. The DS is capable of full 3d garaphics with stereo sound. When I tried it, I almost fainted when I started to control my character by touching the screen. Everything ran great. The touch screen was extremely acurate, and the battery power seemed to be almost better then Nintendo's Gameboy SP. Another really cool feature was the online capabilities. Users can either chat through the built in chat program or play against people across the globe or right across the room. The only downside as of now is the lack of games. There are only a few games out right now like The Urbz, and Super Mario. But Nintendo will be having some really neat hits coming out in the next few months, so don't worry.

Ragnarok Online

Ragnarok Online

Ragnarok Online, Gravity Co is one of the most popular massively multiplayer online rpg of all time. What drives fanatics are the amazing cute anime garaphics. The sound by Temp is also a huge hit by people. There are about 4,500 active players on each of the three international servers. Gravity hosts huge tournaments every year and slowly build their community. Ragnarok Online was taken from a popular anime show call Ragnarok, which is another reason so many people love it. I strongly suggest you try the thirty day free trial. But don't get two excited, it's really idicting.

Runescape

Runescape, by Jagex, is a massively multiplayer online rpg(MMORPG). Meaning you play online with people across the globe. In Runescape you can be a knight, wizard, monk or archer. Runescape is a role playing game which means you have levels. You fight to level up, and each level you get stronger. As you get stronger there are more quests to complete and monsters to kill. You can't forget that there's other people chat with and make guilds. A lot of players make clans and have full out clan wars. It's really fun. Unfortunately runescapes garaphics are poor, and the game runs in the browser, but that doesn't stop 100,000 players.

ZEN Micro by Creative

ZEN Micro by Creative Technologies


The new Zen Micro by Creative Technology opens a whole new world of music. The small mp3 player is packed with a five gigabyte hard drive. Five gigabytes is equivalent to about 2,500 songs which is a whole lot more then Apple's Ipod. So little and with so much disk space you can't help but think that it doesn't have much battery power. Well if you did think that, then your wrong. It's Li-ion battery allows it to last up to twelve hours on just one charge. Who knows, this new product by Creative Technologies could end up flooring Apple's Ipod.

T-Mobile Sidekick II

T-Mobile Sidekick II

The Sidekick has always been popular by celeberities, like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dog. The side kick is a phone, web browser, camera, e-mailer, instant messenger, and organizer all in one. It allows you to have full contact with the outside world anywhere. The Sidekick flips open revealing a large color screen, and a keyboard. From there you can do whatever you like. Personally I think it's a lot better then most PDAs because you can just hop on it, rather then installing programs and getting really confused. Although like any internet, and phone service, there's a big monthly bill to pay.

Super Bowl sure to drive HDTV Sales

With the Super Bowl only hours away, people don't want to miss a thing. The new HDTVs or plasma tvs are going to be the most popular tvs during the big bowl. Plasma tvs are made for the most beautiful picture. Most company's tvs usually have a high contrast ratio up to 3000. This means that pictures will have excellent detail. The deep blacks make great shadow detail so you won't miss a thing when it starts to get dark. Also the brilliant whites provide gorgeous day pictures. These brilliant white colors will turn the Super Bowl into real life. Why would you waste so much money on a ticket when you could be at home. Girls late into the game, you may not want to miss a close up of Tom Brady when it's pitch black out.

Nintendo's Super Bowl

Since so many people are excited about the super bowl, Nintendo presented a simulation of the big game on Madden NFL 2005. It was Nintendo's experienced Madden experts Rufus playing as the Eagles and Natedog as the Patriots.

1st Quarter: At the end of the first quarter the score was Eagles 13-0.

2nd Quarter: At the end of the second quarter the Eagles were winning 16-10.

3rd Quarter: By the end of the third quarter the Eagles made a field goal and made them 19-10.

4th Quarter: And in the end the Eagles win. Well hopefully that won’t be the real game.

Sony PSP

On March 24, Sony will be releasing their first handheld, the PSP(Playstation Portable). The PSP will have close to same amount of power the normal playstation 2 has. The games will have capabilities of full 3d garaphics with wireless multiplayer. The PSP runs on a disk called a UMD(Universal Media Disc) which holds up to 1.8 gigabytes, while the Nintendo DS can only hold a little over a gigabyte. The UMDs are small cds made by Sony so people can't hack them, and so it can fit inside the PSP. Sony will be releasing a few actual movies on the UMDs. Unfortunately the one huge downside of PSP is the battery life. Sony expects it to last about 4-6 hours while the Nintendo DS can last up to ten hours. Although most of the gadget lovers and diehard playstation fans will be doing just about anything to get one.
Specifications and Features
Dimensions
Approximately 6.7 in (W) x .9 in (H) x 2.9 in (D)
Weight
Approximately 280g / .62 lbs (including battery)
CPU
PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1 - 333MHz)
Main Memory
32MB
Embedded DRAM
4MB
Sound
Built-in stereo speakers
Power
Lithium-ion Battery
AC Adaptor
Display
4.3 inch, 16:9 Wide screen TFT LCD
480 x 272 pixel, 16.77 million colors
Maximum luminance 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using battery pack)
Maximum luminance 200 / 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using AC adaptor)

Computers

In are society today we have so many brands of computers. I organized links to some of the most popular computer making companies. Hopefully this will make it easier for some people.

Dell<--I've already posted Dell, but I can't help putting my favorite on this list.

Gateway<-- I've had a gateway in the past. They have good computers, but they're a little pricy.

Sony<-- Sony is current leader in modern technology. Their computers are awsome. But they're pricy.

EMachines<-- They have okay computers. If you want a cheap computer I suggest them.

Mac<-- Some people think their more friendly, but I disagree. A lot of their computers are slow and can't run some programs due to their operating system. But their ipods are cool.

Alienware<-- They have awsome computers. These computers are top of the line for gaming and other uses. They cost a lot, but they're well worth it. (i'll add more later, so please come back if you don't see one you like.)

Jade Empire April 14

Bioware will be releasing Jade Empire on April 14. Jade Empire is a martial arts action-rpg where players can use hundreds of martial art techniques. A lot of the moves come from the movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". In the movie characters fly from tree to tree in massive fights. You can expect to see some of the weirdest moves in the movie in the game. Jade Empire will also feature a huge compelling story where players will have to travel across the world when danger threatens. The whole world will feature lush gardens to harsh mountains where your player will master there techniques on powerful foes.
Full Story
Jade Empires Official Website

The Sims 2

I've always loved the sims games. The Sims was a very fun game where you could sit down laugh your head off. I always loved making a really weird family and then starving them (HaHa) because that's one of the thousand things you can do in it. When I first bought The Sims 2 I thought it would be the same thing. But it wasn't! The Sims world was completely redone in super high quality 3d garaphics. The garaphics are just plain out beautiful. I had my character eating ships while watching. I zoomed in all the way and I could see stuff on the ship bag and actualy tv shows on the tv screen. It was amazing. Another thing that floored me was the emotions. There are an incredible amounts of detailed emotions, like how they chew and make weird gestures when they eat. Although there is a new likes and dislikes bar that makes the game a whole lot harder then The Sims 1. But, I would highly recommend it for anyone. It's a must have game.

Dell Axim X30s PDAs

The Dell Axim X30 comes in a couple packages. Low Medium and High. Low has 312MHz with no wireless capabilities. The Medium has 312MHz with wirless capabilities and the High has 624MHz with wireless capabilities. If you just want to organize your schedule and other stuff I recomend the low because it's stabability is great for running a couple of programs. If you want to surf the net, but you don't want to be installing a lot of programs I recomend the Medium and the High is if you want to install and play higher quality games and surf the web. Note that all of these can process most of the same programs it's just that with the lower models you won't be able to run various programs at the same time while the higher can.

Low:$199
Medium:$279
High:$314
Dell's Website Here

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a very interestingly popular game. The sound is really good mostly because there are real voices in the game, and the garaphics are really good and clear. The story is a little odd because it's about gangs and what gangs do best. Though that's not what most people by it for. People buy it for the freedom and game has no boundaries. You can run, drive, fly, jump, walk, sprint anywhere. You can also do what bad people do(hint hint) or just go drive a car as fast as you can off a cliff and onto a house. The game can be used for instant humor. Just about anything you do in the game will make you laugh. Although the story is interesting it can get annoying. There are just about an unlimited amount of missions and side missions to do. Like two player missions and kill frenzies(hint hint). Personally I loved the game because I could drive harley(well harley looking bike) down a mountain pass while the sun was rising. I don't recomend it for young kids and immature people.

SOCOM II: US Navy Seals

SOCOM II is one of my currently games being played. I like it because the garaphics and sound really take full advantage of the Playstation 2. The single player missions are very fun. Each one is challenging and realistic. What makes the game so popular is the realism. Instead of forty shot kills in other first person shooters it's more of a 1-3 shot kill, like in real life. Single player also has the characters in the game making funny comments. When you go online the game really opens up.
When you first login you will have noticed there are a lot of people on! The game is so popular there are 1 million players on the rank board. To enjoy the online play you should join an active clan. Clans make the game fun because it gives you something fun to do. Another thing to do is talk to people. You can buy a mic for the game and talk over line. It's so much more fun then typing reactions through chat windows. Here are two random tips for fun.
Tip 1: If you have a big tv with good sound, crank it up it's so cool
Tip 2: Online make your name with a C#!! (your name here) to make your name color black. Trying making weird signs after the # to make different colors.

Dell Computers

Being a Dell computer owner for five years I know the service and computer quality. As you can see at the Dells website there are computers as low as $399. A lot of people think that because they cost so little there cheap. That's not true. Dell computers are high end machines with great services. They cost so little because you can't fully customize the computer. This is a downside for a lot of people who like to upgrade lots of stuff. You can still add hard disk space, memory and other essentials, but its more of the simple stuff like changing bigger objects. Just because customization has a small downside doesn't mean Dell is bad. If you were to purchase a new computer of them you would most likely get free offers and an x amount of free computer services. The services include helping you get rid of viruses and just solving problems. I've had my 130 gigabyte Dell computer for five years now, and it's still working fine. And if there was ever a problem I would know just who to call.

Playstation 2

Playstation 2 is far one of the most popular gaming systems out there. Some games be slow or have bad garaphics, but it probably has about 70% of the greatist hits. It doesn't have Halo unfortunately, but it does have the hit series Grand Theft auto. Some games have great quality while others don't. Playstation 2's online gaming is amazing. Most of the current online games have excellent service with hacker protected servers. SOCOM, for an example is one of their more popular online games. On the weekend it's users logged in highest point is about 27,000 players in just the United States. That's just an example of how popular Playstation 2's online gaming is. Also there is no fee for just getting online, unlike Xbox. Out of the three systems I would have to say that Playstation 2 is currently the best.

Gamecube

Gamecube is currently one of the top competing game systems. It features many classic games like mario, and it has modern games like Resident Evil Zero. I think the garaphics in Resident Evil Zero surpass every game made for Xbox and Playstation 2. Unfortunately most of the companies that create most of the Gamecube games don't make them to their full potential. Just about all of the games have cartoony undetailed garaphics. The Gamecube has full potential to have way better garaphics then the Xbox and PS2. This is the downside of the Gamecube. Another problem is that Nintendo hasn't even thought of starting to go online. There is currently one or two online games. Because Nintendo isn't helping with the online entertainment, the online games are hacked and ruined. Overall Gamecube is a great system, but it doesn't have latest hits and game quality in this time.
(Please comment on my review)