Mad Catz Steampunk/retro mouse: Cyborg R.A.T

Mad Catz has unveiled their newest mouse that is coming this March/April. It is such a manly mouse if I have to say so myself. Alot of knobs, screws and very steampunk-ish. I hope the mouse functions as cool as how it looks. Now, I wonder how much dust you have to clean off from it whenever you want to use it. In addition, Kotaku has a video on the mouse, with a walkthrough by the Mad Catz rep. Check it out >HERE<.

Tech: Another company tackles cloud computing, watch out OnLive!

Unashamedly ripped from Gamespy, "According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, David Perry's cloud gaming service Gaikai has raised $5 million to kick-start the project (via Industry Gamers). Perry's GaiKai service is similar to Steve Perlman's OnLive, as it will stream games running on remote computers to the PCs of subscribers, side-stepping the need for gamers to invest in top-tier hardware. The Gaikai project is based in the Netherlands, and is founded by GDC advisory board members David Perry, Rui Pereira and Andrew Gault. Neither OnLive nor Gaikai have set firm release windows for their service."

It seems someone else has seen the future and have the funds for it. All in all, competition is good. The more choices there are for consumers, the better. Can't wait to see the price wars on these services.

Video: OnLive

OnLive is a service that lets you game or watch movies from either a TV, PC or from your iPhone through cloud computing! The only limitation is your bandwidth. I have watched the vid and I am very impressed although I know this won't be coming into my country anytime soon. However, even if this service goes bust, you cannot deny that this is the future.

VIDEO: Pure genius, SNATCH + STAR WARS

I am not sure how long this vid has been here but this is pure comedy genius. If you though Vader was badass before, now he is truly the stuff of nightmares!

Gaming: Alien vs Predator

STORY TRAILER

This is the latest storyline trailer by Rebellion on Alien vs Predator. Just when you thought the game had no storyline, well, this trailer will put the naysayers to rest. Lance Henrikson continues to spook and whoop us with his fatherly mercenary type voice and I (as a fan) welcome it. Who else is better suited to play the role of Bishop other than the man himself? Oh man, I can't wait for this game to come out. The gaming world needs its AvP goodness back.

Castle Age on Facebook

With a minimum amount of coaxing, my friend managed to get me to play Castle Age and for now, I find the game interesting enough to keep me playing. I just downed my first summoned boss, which yielded a nice finisher story which you can read below. Btw, my character's name is Capricious Bull.

"Gildamesh sweeps his axe in large arcs as he rushes at you and Celesta. Celesta dodges his blows but suddenly falls backward as she trips on the jagged rocks below you. The Orc King grins. Your party is busy fighting his minions. You know this has to end soon. With blinding speed, the Orc King raises his axe and rushes at you again.

You dodge swing after swing until you are cornered. The Orc King raises his axe and brings it down. Suddenly you see Kiana rush up from the side and deflect his blow. Maximilian comes up from behind and bashes his shield on the Orc King. Your friends have defeated his minions! You take the opportunity to attack!

You stun Gildamesh with the blunt side of your weapon and with a quick motion, you bring your weapon down a second time, piercing his armor.

Gildamesh Grunts: You've proved yourself a worthy adversary, Capracious Bull...But we shall meet again!

A burst of intense light blinds you and suddenly, the Orc King is gone.

You have defeated the Orc King and already claimed the Crystal of Fire. Now it is time to journey to the Land of Earth and search for the Crystal of Earth."

Updates

So after a long time of not updating my blog here are some updates:

Modern Warfare 2

Believe it or not I have abstained myself from buying this game simply because of the shoddy response they are giving to PC gamers in regards to their no community dedicated server stance. I heard a lot of good reviews on the game though, which I know is true. Anyway, just putting my foot down on Infinity Ward's stance even though I know it won't matter in the long run.

RIP WIFI Router Modem

My router modem got fried last night when I was surfing the net during a storm which I thought was letting up. Apparently it didn't as it gave a lightning strike near the vicinity of my house, tripping the circuits and my router modem literally popped. Suffice to say, I could only stand half an hour without the net before I went to the nearest mall to get myself a replacement. Phew, all is right with the world when I finally got my net back.

Games I am playing

I gotten back to playing Champions Online after some week of absence. I have stopped playing Dragon Age: Origins because it something I always go through with deep RPGs. I have to stop myself because I tend to always want to restart the game (I want a perfect character, dammit!). So I stopped and played a bit of Torchlight and now I am back on Champions Online.

Gaming: Torchlight review up on Kotaku

So the review for Torchlight is up on Kotaku, which you can check it out. The reason why I specifically point out to Kotaku is because I find their review system refreshing and doesn't force any of their opinions on us, the user. They try to give a neutral review by giving the pros and cons and leave it at that. I think it is quite effective in their attempt to not make biased reviews, which most review sites seemingly do (often as of late).

Personally though, I find the game addictive. At first I tried the demo of the game via STEAM and before you know it, 2 days have passed and I had already made 6 characters. The demo has some restrictions, which are a character level limit and dungeon limit. I proceeded to buy the game so I can continue my excursions. And now, I play that in between my Dragon Age gaming as a temporary break.

What I like about the game is that it has everything that you would want in an action RPG. The graphics are colourful and easy on the eyes, the skill system is complete and allows freedom for a number of builds, and the storyline is simple enough (but engaging) that it doesn't interfere with the real gist of the game: getting better items. More details on the game can be found at the Kotaku review, which I am at an agreement with the points. A good start for Runic Games.

One more thing though, this game allows modding since they released the editor. The modding community is small but already churning out a lot of mods. I believe these mods will increase the lifespan of the game. Already I have used some of those mods, mods that change your pet cat to a tiger, have enemies use random weapons instead of fixed, a respec mod, brighter map mod, etc, etc.

Gaming: Dragon Age Origins Collector's Edition

November 3rd 2009 has arrived (I know that was yesterday but I was lazy) and I manage to snag my copy of Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition from The Software Boutique. Got some goodies as a pre-order bonus and I went home contented. Above are the content of the stuff. On the floor are the T-Shirt (large size) and the poster. On top of it are the contents of the boxed retail pack, yes it is wood. In the middle is the cloth map, above it is the plastic sleeve (top left) and on the right of it is the front lid of the retail pack. On the left side of the cloth map is the DVD retail pack and on the right is the back of the wooden retail pack. All in all, pretty sweet.

Unfortunately, my DVD drive can't read the installer DVD. However, it could read the bonus DVD with video content. I proceeded to test the installer DVD on a notebook and lo and behold, it could be read. So I am going to buy a new DVD drive. Hopefully I can play the game by today.

Movies: Michael Jackson's This is it!

“This Is It!” has been out for a while and I decided to watch it during my off time. As a child of the 80s, MJ is considered one of the legends for my generation. No other performer has given a lasting impression on me other than MJ. So, having the opportunity to watch the final moments of his life preparing for his final concert was a given for me.

“This Is It!” is a behind the scenes documentary on what was supposed to be the final MJ concert. It features clips and commentary from the start of the concert rehearsals until the final day where MJ was alive.

Let me tell you this, for someone who is in his 50s, MJ still has his moves. As you watch the movie, you realize how alive and animated he is. Never once in your life did you ever think that this was a man who would be meeting his death some time soon.

It is amazing how much presence he has even though it was on a movie screen. MJ is a down to earth type of guy. However, he is professional and very hands on. I think all of the crew find him to be a very likeable person.

Nostalgia hit me when I saw MJ performing all his greatest songs. I am utterly impressed how MJ continues to improve on his performances as he goes through them during the practice rehearsals. He chooses his words wisely and makes sure that everyone gets what he says. I like the part where he stops and says “I think the VALUE would be greater if you held that part longer” and he was right.

If you were a fan or you’d just want an insight on how one of the best performers of the world prepares for a concert, this is the movie to watch. MJ is undoubtedly the King of Pop. I suggest you sit down, get relaxed and let the music wash over you.

Blurbs: Assassin's Creed Short Movie

Most game to movie adaptations suck. Apparently the one that I am about to show you, doesn't. It is profesional and awesome. This is the first in a series of short movies that are being developed by Hybride Technologies, the visual effects studio behind 300 and Sin City, which Ubisoft bought last year for just this sort of project. I can't wait for the 2nd episode. News courtesy of Kotaku.

Blurbs: Dragon Age Penny Arcade Comic

The folks of Penny Arcade has finally completed the 8 page comic for Dragon Age, which you can view >HERE<. The art is beatiful and it makes me want to play the game right now. I believe the comic was successful in giving out the gray area moral ambiguity that will be prevalent in the game. As it is, there has been quite an entertaining debate in the official forums regarding the comic and the subject matter: tempars. Which, you can browse and read >HERE<. If you haven't read the comic, I strongly advise that you do so.

Gaming: Leaked L4D2 Trailer

Apparently there is a leaked L4D2 trailer that has made its rounds in the net. It's still hot since the news was from yesterday. I am not sure if it is really leaked or one of Valve's insidious plans ... Anyway, enjoy the vid.

Blurbs: Lone Wolf!

When I was a kid I had fun reading this so called adventure books. Basically you are reading a character and you control what path s/he takes by flipping to the appropriate page. It was awesome and the best I have read so far was the adventures of Lone Wolf.

I have found a website of the author and he has made all his books available online to be read! Check it out >HERE<.

Gaming: Aliens vs Predator

I have always liked the Aliens and Predator franchises. The original movies for both rocked and made their own niches in the market. Unfortunately the recent movie attempts are something less to be desired. However, fret not, the game is coming soon and it looks awesome. Rebellion have released the latest Alien trailer for their AvP game and it showcases some alien gameplay. Watch and don't pee in your pants ...

Video Games | Aliens vs Predator | Alien Terror Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Blurbs: D&D

Dungeons & Dragons is such an old IP and almost every old (relatively) gamer I have met have actually played this pen and paper marvel. When the 4th edition came out last year, a group of my friends and I decided to give it a try. We only went as far as two sessions. I blame this on the "real life" monster invoking itself into our DnD scheduling. We might try again this year ... or maybe not seeing that this year is about to end in two (or three, depending how you count it) more months.

Penny Arcade has started putting up their DnD exploits and I find the read interesting. Not to mention the podcast of their adventures that is hosted by Wizards of the Coast, which are the makers of DnD. Penny Arcade has posted up some articles on their DnD adventures alot of times already but this one is interesting to see. The way he sets up the board is awesome! Check it out >HERE<. You may need to scroll downward since it's the second article.

Penny Arcade has been spending alot of money to get the appropriate minis and boards for their DnD game. So I am not surprised if they are thinking of getting the Microsoft surface for their DnD gaming. Currently it is a work in progress but the vid shows that it is functional. Catch it here in Kotaku. Looks awesome.

Gaming: Mass Effect 2 dated

One of the most anticipated PC games of next year has finally been dated by Bioware. Mass Effect 2 will be coming out in North America on the 26th of January 2010. Europe will be getting it 3 days later (29th). Hopefully, it reaches the shores of my country somewhere in between that. I can't wait to play Mass Effect 2, continuing the adventures of Shepard from Mass Effect 1. Hopefully, Dragon Age will keep me entertained until then.

Gaming: Dragon Age Character Creator tool

The interface

And so I installed and played around in it. There's not much you can do. You can muck about some graphical options but that's about it. Other than seeing what the character creator can do, there's nothing else. So I don't have much to comment about. The interface looks straightforward and after you have chosen your gender, race, class and background, you can only change the facial appearance of your character. There are sliders but it is quite simplistic. Just another tease before the full game comes out.

The main menu

A cute female dwarf

Blurb: Mass Effect: Redemption comic by Dark Horse

So apparently as part of their marketing for their next installment into the Mass Effect Universe, Dark Horse is making a comic to prepare players for Mass Effect 2. So they have a preview up, which you can check it out >HERE<.

I read the seven page preview and it looks nice. I think the art goes well with the sci fi type of visuals that is needed from the Mass Effect universe. Question is, will I buy it? The game, a definite yes but the comic ... I'll think about it.

Gaming: Dragon Age character creator is out!

Just when you can't get enough of Dragon Age: Origins, there is more! Bioware just released the character creation tool to the masses! Presumably, you can download, install and create your characters as if you owned the game. The only downside off course, is that you can't play the game yet since it is only the character creator. Fortunately, at this point, any freebies by Bioware on their game is a warm welcome. I am downloading it as I type this so I will update this post when I have installed it and tried it.