blog.alinuxuser.com

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle (PC) Review

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:56:06 -0500

I got this game through Game Pass for $1, and I finished it fast. I started in late December and rolled credits on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 9:27 AM. Safe to say I got my dollar’s worth.

This is easily the best Indiana Jones game ever made for PC. I’m really happy it exists. The last one I tried was Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb back in the day. I really wanted to like it, but the controls were clunky and it just hasn’t aged well. After that, I pretty much gave up on the idea of a good Indy game. It took 22 years for another game to be made, and we have come a long way.

Completed Games

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:02:36 -0500

Every game I ever completed

Gaming Backlog

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:47:59 -0500

A Plague Tale: Innocence; 12h 17m
Age of Mythology: Extended Edition; 41h 54m
ARMA 3; 31h 47m
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China; 7h 53m
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia; 7h 35m
Bastion; 8h 15m
Batman: Arkham Knight; 30h 57m
Batman: Arkham Origins; 18h 34m
BioShock 2; 12h 56m
Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain; 14h 3m
BloodRayne; 7h 43m
Borderlands 2; 52h 27m
Borderlands 3; 42h 47m
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood; 7h 33m
Burnout Paradise; 22h 17m
Cities XL Platinum; 31h 19m
Colin McRae Rally; 10h 21m
Company of Heroes 2; 20h 16m
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition; 27h 50m
Dead Space; 12h 6m
Death Stranding; 57h 42m
Desperados 2: Cooper’s Revenge; 24h 32m
Desperados III; 33h 5m
Desperados III: Money for the Vultures - Part 1: Late To The Party; 2h
Desperados III: Money for the Vultures - Part 2: Five Steps Ahead; 2h 16m
Desperados III: Money for the Vultures - Part 3: Once More With Feeling; 2h 53m
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided; 30h 4m
Dragon Age II; 38h 18m
Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition; 72h 54m
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen; 50h 57m
Dying Light; 31h 28m
Empire Earth; 36h 34m
F.E.A.R. 3; 6h 32m
Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition; 119h 53m
Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition; 82h 41m
Far Cry 4; 30h 46m
Far Cry 5; 29h 25m
Forza Horizon 4; 51h 40m
Frostpunk; 16h 9m
Full Spectrum Warrior; 9h 31m
Full Throttle Remastered; 4h 18m
Gotham Knights; 26h 55m
Grand Theft Auto V; 45h 22m
Grim Dawn; 43h 48m
Halo: The Master Chief Collection; 58h 48m
Hard West; 19h 38m
Helldorado; 13h 15m
Hidden & Dangerous 2; 19h 45m
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack; 19h 7m
Hitman; 18h 33m
Hitman: Blood Money; 13h 37m
James Bond 007: Blood Stone; 6h 24m
Just Cause 4; 25h 5m
Mafia; 17h 38m
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; 80h 3m
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War; 37h 25m
Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition; 13h 3m
Moto Racer 2; 3h 57m
Murdered: Soul Suspect; 8h 53m
Need For Speed Heat; 24h 49m
Need for Speed: Most Wanted; 13h 56m
Nioh 2: Complete Edition; 87h 17m
Building Simulator; 50h 25m
Planescape: Torment; 42h 4m
Prey; 27h 1m
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands; 8h 17m
Project: Snowblind; 5h 46m
Psychonauts; 14h 50m
Rage 2; 17h 45m
Red Faction: Guerrilla - Re-Mars-tered; 15h 5m
Risen; 37h 2m
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood; 17h 11m
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected; 26h 43m
Saints Row: The Third; 26h 6m
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun; 27h 59m
Sifu; 11h 55m
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition; 23h 57m
Soma; 10h 8m
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy; 10h 49m
Star Wars: Battlefront II; 12h 56m
Star Wars: Empire At War - Gold Pack; 31h 28m
Subnautica; 41h 32m
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition; 84h 19m
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North; 15h 6m
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition; 38h 37m
Thief; 18h 15m
Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition; 46h 57m
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2; 9h 23m
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2; 10h 1m
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory; 13h 53m
Tomb Raider: Underworld; 10h 59m
Torchlight II; 27h 52m
Trine 2; 10h 18m
Tropico 4; 61h 23m
Tyranny; 34h 34m
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War; 12h 48m
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II; 20h 21m
Watch Dogs 2; 29h 50m
XCOM: Enemy Unknown; 34h 9m
Yakuza 4; 31h 4m

DOOM (PC) Review

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:21:21 -0500

I once wrote a short review of DOOM, but that didn’t capture how good this game really is, and I need to yell more into the void about how much I enjoyed it.

Back in 2004, the hype for Doom 3 was through the roof. It was during the golden age of gaming. Half-Life 2, Doom 3 were both set to be released in the same year. Doom 3 was the Crysis of that generation. Following the release of Doom 3, the reception was a little mixed. It did not reach the heights that most thought it would. Visually impressive but divisive gameplay wise. It leaned heavily into horror, and I enjoyed parts of it, but I never finished it—mostly because of the spiders. After the Resurrection of Evil expansion, the franchise went quiet. The industry shifted. I think it would be fair to say that Call of Duty changed FPS games. id Software were no longer at the top of their game. Rage underperformed, and John Carmack left the studio in 2013. Rumors suggested Doom 4 was becoming a COD-inspired game, and I lost hope. I didn’t want “Call of Doom.”

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PC) Review

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:47:53 -0500

I finished this game on Sunday, June 29, 2025, 10:30:00 AM.

I’m writing this years after release, so this isn’t a traditional buying recommendation. I picked up the Definitive Edition for free on the Epic Games Store (EGS), which included all DLC costumes and content.

The story is boring. I watched the early cutscenes, but Lara’s motivations against Trinity (lol) felt vague and the plot never came together. The situations Lara ends up in are extremely contrived—enemies repeatedly fail to kill her when they easily could, giving her impenetrable plot armor from the very first plane crash onward. The writing is poorly directed, the supporting characters (especially the native kid) have bad voice acting, and I ended up mashing the space bar every time they appeared. Camilla Luddington’s voice acting for Lara is quite good, but everything else is weak. In the end I completely tuned out the narrative and just enjoyed the ride.

RoboCop: Rogue City (PC) Review

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:09:39 -0500

When I first heard about RoboCop: Rogue City, I expected it to be a terrible movie tie-in game — bad controls, a poor PC port, and an unoptimized, buggy mess. So when reviews started coming out and the game was rated highly, I was genuinely surprised. Could this actually be good, like the Batman games?

I played it via Family Sharing on Steam, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes action games.

Batman Arkham Origins Diary

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:39:50 -0500

Apr 18, 2026 Saturday 06:40:23 PM CDT

Installed the game just now from Steam.

Going to play for a while and then get something to eat.

Apr 18, 2026 Saturday 09:41:12 PM CDT

Ok, I am about to play now.

Game has some tecnical issues. Found a youtube video to fix the problem. Game freezes when running in DX11 mode.

“D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Batman Arkham Origins\SinglePlayer\BMGame\Config\BmEngine.ini”

AllowD3D10=True
AllowD3D11=False

had to do that make the game work.

RoboCop Rogue City Diary

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:58:56 -0500

Apr 05, 2026 Sunday 03:29:01 PM

Going to play some more today. Was supposed to work on some slides for a presentation, but I cannot work on it now because I need input from others.

I am also very glad that I get to write my thoughts about games and publish them.

Apr 05, 2026 Sunday 04:18:46 PM

Following the Cyber Trail. Entered a sewer. What will a video game be without a sewer level?

Micro and Macro Economic Milestones

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:52:01 -0500

The Detox

A few weeks ago I started a digital detox. I stopped reading the news, skipped every hot take on the Iran war or on how President Trump “should have handled” it, and ignored the endless commentary from people detached from reality. None of it added value; it simply occupied precious brain space.

Sherlock Holmes captured the feeling perfectly:

“What the deuce is it to me? You say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”
— A Study in Scarlet

Hello World

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:08:25 -0500

After some trial and error, my new website is now live.

I’ll slowly migrate posts from my old blogs, preserving original dates where possible and making only minor edits.

I am hoping this is the last platform I ever need.

Golden Age of Battlefield

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:06:00 -0500

This is what I consider the peak era of gaming in my life. Battlefield dominated most of it. This post is try and post all my thoughts, almost 15 years after.

2011: The Alpha

Battlefield 3 open alpha was announced in mid 2011, and there was a lot of chatter about this on Twitter and other gaming forums back then. Competitive gaming was not something I Was into at this point. The whole idea confused me. I had a lot of single player games to play, so I exclusively played them.

Dishonored 2 (PC) Review

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:37:00 -0500

In my opinion the first Dishonored is one of the best single player games ever made. Sequels have a tendency to be not as good as the original. Sequels such as Crysis 2, F.E.A.R 2, Doom Eternal, Deus Ex Invisible War etc., were not as good as the first games.

Going into Dishonored 2, I didn’t know much about the story or the gameplay changes. I wanted to experience the game without knowing much about it.

Assassins Creed Syndicate (PC) Review

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:29:47 -0500

Got this game for free on Uplay. Finished it on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Ubisoft needed a win after the disaster of Unity at launch. Syndicate released the following year, had a smooth launch, and was generally well received. Assassin’s Creed purists weren’t thrilled because the parkour lacked the depth Unity offered. After watching some videos on YouTube, I agree that Syndicate’s parkour is noticeably more simplistic. The grapple hook was a little controversial. I understand why it exists, and it didn’t bother me too much, but Unity handled traversal better. Tall structures in Unity had stationary grapples placed in specific spots, which still required effort and gave you a sense of accomplishment when you parkoured your way to the top of Notre Dame.

Life and Gaming Update in 2026

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:02:00 -0500

I didn’t post anything in 2025. Since starting this blog in 2011, I’ve rarely gone an entire year without writing something, so it feels strange to see a gap that long.
Games I Played in 2025

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Dishonored 2
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

I played this on Xbox Game Pass, which I picked up for $1. I finished it in a few days without doing many side quests. The companion character was predictably annoying and dragged the experience down. The graphics were excellent, but the gameplay had issues and the weapon system felt clunky. Overall, it felt like a $5 game.

Assassins Creed Odyssey (PC) Review

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 11:58:00 -0600

I have mixed feelings about the game.

What I Liked

Quick Save Feature: The ability to quickly save progress is a significant plus. The old save system would have made things worse.
World Design: The game boasts an impressive world design in terms of visuals, and the vast map to explore.
Stunning Graphics: The visuals are truly remarkable, better than Assassin’s Creed Origins in my opinion.

Borderlands (PC) Review

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 10:20:00 -0500

I’m somewhat conflicted about Borderlands. Technically, it’s a solid game. It ran smoothly on my setup with a 2560x1440 resolution, an i7-6700k processor, and a GeForce 1080Ti, without any issues.

However, the gameplay feels dated. Movement lacks a sense of weight, and I frequently got stuck on level geometry, especially in densely packed areas. The vehicle controls are also unconventional, using mouse-based turning rather than the standard WASD movement, which took some time to get used to.

Batman Arkham City (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 14:21:00 -0500

Very solid game. Definitely worth playing. Main story takes about 13 hours to complete. There is a TON of side content.

Combat is the best part of this game and there is a lot to learn. After 13+ hours, I don’t think I am anywhere near mastering it. There are parts that are unfair at times, especially when there are a lot of armed guards. Lack of auto-run will get you killed.

Dishonored (PC) Review

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:32:00 -0500

Dishonored is one of the best single player games I ever played. It came very close to the original Deux Ex for me. There are so many ways to play this game - pure stealth, pure combat or a combination of both. The game manages to take player decisions into account and change things in subtle and interesting ways. The powers and skills acquired allow different ways to approach mission objectives.

Doom Eternal (PC) Review

Sat, 04 May 2024 15:24:00 -0500

Doom Eternal annoyed me to no end.

Its a very polished game, a functional product, and looks great. When the game gets going, its a lot of fun. Soundtrack is excellent - one of the best ever. There is nothing technically wrong with the game.

However, I cannot recommend this game, because I did not have fun playing it. For fans of the first game expecting similar gameplay, understand that in certain aspects, Doom Eternal is a VERY different game. My biggest complaint are design decisions that get in the way of having fun. Every time it feels like I am getting in the flow, the game does something dumb to ruin it.

Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC) Review

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 20:41:00 -0500

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a very solid sequel, and I really enjoyed this game. The graphics are top-notch — I played it at 3440x1440 resolution on a machine running an i7 12700k and a GeForce RTX 3080Ti with ray tracing enabled and I was getting over 100+ FPS with DLSS set to Quality mode. The attention to detail in the tombs you get to explore is outstanding, even extending to the optional ones. These optional tombs came closest to delivering the experience of the old games for me.

Assassinss Creed Origins (PC) Review

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:44:00 -0500

The best thing about Assassin’s Creed Origins is the game world. Ubisoft did a fantastic job creating Egypt. The map is massive, and strictly playing the story missions covers around 60% of the map—this is without any of the DLC content. Exploring the pyramids, the Sphinx, and other Egyptian landmarks is a lot of fun. The City of Memphis is particularly memorable to me. In the hands of a better studio, this game could have been a masterpiece.

Call of Juarez (PC) Review

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 09:37:00 -0600

Released in 2006, Call of Juarez is an FPS set in the Wild West. I should have loved this game, but I didn’t.

Considering the game was released 17 years ago, the visuals still hold up. Compared to most of the gray and brown shooters released around this time, this game stands out with colorful visuals. They successfully portrayed Mexico in a way that avoids the visual style of a Breaking Bad episode.

Darkness II (PC) Review

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:49:00 -0600

I have not played The Darkness I because it was never released on the PC. Not having played the first game should not stop someone from playing this game. Just watch a YouTube video about the story of the first game, and you will be all caught up on the story. I should also mention that I knew nothing about the comics before playing this game.

A direct sequel to the first game, in The Darkness II, you resume the role of Jackie who is possessed by Darkness, which gives the player control of the demon and its underling.

Assassins Creed Origins Diary

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:28:00 -0600

10:28 AM Friday, December 22, 2023

Started playing this game right after midnight. Looks very good. I am glad I got it on Steam. I hate the fact that it still requires the terrible ubisoft launcher. I wish ubisoft can ditch it like Bethesda did. There is no one that will miss it.

There are plenty of graphical options in the game. Controls are a little weird. Uses Alt to jump. I think this may be similar to Division 2. Not a fan of it.

Mirrors Edge Catalyst (PC) Review

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 01:21:00 -0600

The best parkour game I ever played, with a very forgettable story

I played and enjoyed Mirror’s Edge back in 2009. It always puzzled me why DICE took so long to give us a sequel.

When Mirror’s Edge Catalyst first came out, the reviews were mixedand it was not available on Steam until June 2020. I recently picked it up on Steam for $1.99. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst brings the free-running action from the first game, and makes almost everything better.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Review

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Wolfenstein The Old Blood is a prequel to the excellent The New Order. Set in 1946, The Old Blood follows the adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz as he infiltrates Castle Wolfenstein, searching for a nazi MacGuffin.

Simply put, if you enjoyed The New Order, then this game is more of that in a tightly crafted package. The game does not overstay its welcome, and the plot, such as it is, unfolds very quickly.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC) Review

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 15:48:00 -0600

I had planned to write an extensive review of Red Dead Redemption 2, but before I do, let me just say that if you enjoy open-world games with excellent graphics and haven’t played this game yet, might as well stop reading this and buy it now, and play it. Take your time with the game. I would hate to spoil the joy of discovering what this game has to offer. Assuming you a good enough PC, set everything to high, put on your headphones, start the game, and just enjoy the ride. Get lost in this excellent version of the United States.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC) Review

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 15:48:00 -0600

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sequel-prequel to the original game, and based on my experience, it surpasses its predecessor in every aspect. Unfortunately, the original game was never released on PC, denying PC gamers the chance to experience it. Despite the latest remaster of Red Dead Redemption not being available on PC, I’m glad that Rockstar decided to release Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC.

Tomb Raider Anniversary (PC) Review

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a beautifully remade version of the classic 1996 game. It features modernized controls that are very much like Tomb Raider Legend, and while the majority of the game excels, subpar boss battles detract from the experience. The game’s remastered visuals are fantastic, and the developers took some minor creative liberties with the level design, making the game better for it. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through iconic levels such as The Lost Valley, Palace Midas, and St. Francis Folly. The Tomb Raider Legend engine holds up very well.

Handbreak Settings for ShadowPlay Recordings

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 10:07:00 -0600

I record a lot of gameplay footage using Nvidia ShadowPlay. I play most games on my ultrawide monitor at a resolution of 3440x1440. At times, the file sizes can balloon up to over 10GB with a target bit rate is 50Mbps.

In an effort to reduce the storage size, and not to have to upgrade my hard drive, I decided to explore Handbreak to compress and encode some of the videos I recorded. After doing some research, here are the settings I picked, which seem to find the right balance between compression and quality.

Frontlines Fuel of War (PC) Review

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 12:43:00 -0500

A game with massive potential that sadly never lived up to it.

Frontlines Fuel of War tells the story of a world in conflict between Western Alliance and Red Star Alliance forces. The game takes place in Turkmenistan, and moves into Moscow towards the end.

This is a typical mid 2000s modern military shooter. I never had the chance to play multiplayer and the single player is very average with blurry textures, very poor weapon handling, thoroughly forgettable story, bad voice acting and bad enemy AI. There are mechanics in this game that are better than an average Call of Duty campaign such as open ended levels, and vehicles etc. but it is very hard to get past the mediocrity of the rest of the game.

Infinite Backlog

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 10:24:00 -0500

As of Sunday September 17, 2023, I am looking at the games I own, and it is clear that I will not be able to finish or even play all of them in my lifetime. So I decided to make a list of games that I intend to finish or at least give my best shot.

I have 111 games listed in my backlog. It appears as if it will take 111 days of playtime to finish all these games. I am not sure how I am going to playthrough all these games, and also fit in Halo: Master Chief Collection, Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, and the next Battlefield game.

Half-Life: Blue Shift (PC) Review

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 15:37:00 -0500

Well worth the $0.50 I paid for it.

A thoroughly functional game, which does not outlast its welcome. It tells a concise story, and it fills in the gaps of the main Half-Life game. It took me a little under 4 hours to finish Blue Shift.

Technically, it is competent, but the original Half-Life engine has aged poorly. It worked fine at 2560x1440 resolution, but the game looks dated. I found it hard at times to distinguish textures that are meant to be interactive, because of how blurry the textures are at the resolution I am playing. I had to refer to the walkthrough a couple of times because I missed a switch that was right in front, but I did not identify it because textures tend to blend with each other.

SUPERHOT (PC) Review

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 08:44:00 -0500

I heard about this game when it was released back in 2016. It looked interesting but I didn’t want to buy it because I wasn’t entirely sure if I would like it.

7 years later, as I was looking through my game collection, I saw that I owned this game on Amazon. I am not sure how. I know I never purchased it. Now there is no excuse, and I must play this very interesting game.
I am won’t dwell too much on the story. I think its pretty good, which is rare for a video game. I often do not care about video game stories, but this is a rare exception. In terms of being memorable, it’s up there with Portal for me.

Alan Wake (PC) Review

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:11:00 -0500

I played the regular PC version of the game released on Feb 16, 2012 (according to Steam). I understand that this game is beloved by many, and I am not trying to be a contrarian. I enjoyed Alan Wake, but in my opinion, the only thing great about this game is the atmosphere. For a game that is released over a decade ago, the visuals hold up very well. I played this game on an ultrawide display (3440x1440) and I had absolutely no issues whatsoever. Fantastic.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (PC) Review

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 22:59:00 -0500

I did not like Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. This review is going to contain mild spoilers.

Let me talk about the things I liked about this game.

Some of the level design and art work is absolutely amazing. It truly captured the essence of Star Wars.

From a technical perspective, there are no issues whatsoever, other than the fact that there is double DRM to have to deal with - Steam and the horrendous EA App. There were no issues running the game at 3440x1440 resolution in borderless Window mode (excellent), and I was consistently getting over 120FPS on the highest settings.

Remote Desktop Connection Stuck In Please Wait State

Sat, 27 May 2023 15:02:00 -0500

I found this solution in the Q&A section of Microsoft Learn. Credit goes to the original author.

This process will involve creatating an .rdp file, and editing it in notepad and adding a flag which will prompt the user to enter their password.

Get the ipaddress of the machine that is stuck in the Please Wait state.

ping [server] -4
-4 flag ensures that IPv4 address is used.

Open Remote Desktop Connection application.
– Start -> Remote Desktop Connection or Start -> mstsc
Enter the IP address of the machine noted in the above step.
Click on the Show Options button.

Click on Save As and save the configuration to a file.

Navigate to the directory where the rdp configuration file is saved. Right click on the file, and open the configuration file with Notepad.
Add the following to the bottom of the file and save it. This option will turn off the Network Level Authentication therefore the user will be prompted to enter the password up on connecting to the server.

enablecredsspsupport:i:0

Once the file is saved, double click on it, so launch Remote Desktop Connection and click on Connect. Click Yes on the next dialog box to connect despite certificate errors.

This should show a Windows login page, and up on logging in, will get past the Please Wait screen.

Reset Session

Another way to resolve this issue is resetting the session. It is important to note that doing this will log off the user, therefore any running processes will be terminated.

Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) Review

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 20:07:00 -0500

Where do I even begin talking about Cyberpunk 2077? It’s a very divisive game, and while I believe it was somewhat redeemed by the developers, it is a cautionary tale about hype, false advertising, and misleading marketing. It was beyond disappointing because CD Project Red, who gave us the fantastic Witcher 3, failed so spectacularly. I intend to talk about the events leading up to the launch of the game, the disastrous launch and the redemption that followed.

Private Internet Access - Request Timed Out Issue

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 13:46:00 -0500

Short Story

I had to update the firmware on my TP-Link 8 Port Gigabit Switch to resolve the connectivity issues when using a VPN client. I installed Build 20220930 (Published Date: 2022-10-12) and that took care of the problem.

Long Story

My plan was to self host my blog using PIA VPN’s static IP feature. My website is currently on Blogger, and I get the feeling that Blogger has been abandoned by Google, and won’t be around for much longer. Also, this will be some much needed experience with some basic frontend web development, and I could create my own CI/CD process etc.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (PC) Review

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 18:12:00 -0600

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was released for the PC in May 2006. I remember playing the demo way back in the day, and my computer could barely keep up with it. The big marketing point at the time was the advanced physics capabilities of the game on PC. This title was supposed to take advantage of Ageia’s PhysX card. This was of course before Nvidia incorporated PhysX into GPUs, which I am glad they did. Imagine having to install a GPU and PPU to get the full experience.

Fix Error When VT-x (Virtualization) is Enabled in VMWare Player

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 14:52:00 -0600

I was unable to enable virtualization on my Windows 10 VM on a Windows 10 host. I did have virtualization enabled in the BIOS, but that didn’t seem to help. When I check the box to enable this feature, Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI, I would get an error.

I want this feature enabled to run Docker in my VM.

This is my system configuration:

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
    - Version 10.0.19045 Build 19045
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz, 4008 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
American Megatrends Inc. 1.I0, 6/26/2018
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 32.0 GB
Realtek High Definition Audio
Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB
WDC WD10EZEX-08WN4A0

I know my computer is more than capable of running a VM with virtulization. I found several powershell commands out there, and running them did not help. I did some digging and found that certain windows features need to be disabled for virtulization to work in a VM.

How To Fix Middle Mouse Button To Give Orders - Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Steam)

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 06:51:00 -0600

This is a fix for the middle mouse button not working when giving orders in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. I am using the Steam version for this, but I would imagine this fix will work on any PC version.

Navigate to the following location:

E:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter\Settings

Open the following file in a text editor:

ctrl_set_def.xml

Change the following line:

<button id="hud_select" binding="2" device="mouse" group="misc"/>

To this:

<button id="hud_select" binding="2" device="mouse" group="tactics"/>

Save the file and start the game.

Here is a video showing this process.

DOOM Diary: Initial Thoughts

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 19:47:00 -0600

I put off playing Doom (2016) for many years because I wanted to have a machine powerful enough to play it. After finishing Gun yesterday, which was a thoroughly mediocre shooter, I was in the mood for something good. Considering that I am now fortunate enough to own a fantastic computer, I decided now is the time.

To this day, I avoided all media related to this game. After watching the gameplay reveal video many years ago, I decided this game needs to be experienced without any spoilers.

GUN (PC) Review

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 18:35:00 -0600

I first played this game in 2009, and I never ended up finishing it. I recently picked up the GOG version and I beat the game. The game is fun for the most part, but there are aspects that really set it back.

The story is set in late 19th century America, specifically in the Old West, and involves finding the lost city of Quivira, where this is lot of gold to be mined.

Assassins Creed Unity is Looking Good

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 16:24:00 -0500

I recently started playing Assassin’s Creed Unity after briefly watching Whitelight’s video on this game. I had this game in my library for a long time, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. I finished Black Flag and Rogue earlier this year, and those are the only two AC games I finished to date. After playing other games for a while, the time felt right to get back into an Assassin’s Creed game.

F.E.A.R Extraction Point (PC) Review

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 06:34:00 -0500

F.E.A.R Extraction Point is the first of the two expansions for F.E.A.R. It is developed by Timegate Studios and released in October 2006, about a year after the first game. This is an excellent expansion pack to a great horror game. It looks better, and plays better than F.E.A.R for the most part.

The story for this expansion picks up right where the first game left off, and it branches into what is now commonly referred to as the Vivendi timeline. F.E.A.R 2 and F.E.A.R 3 follow the Monolith timeline. The direct sequels do not acknowledge the expansion packs from Timegate. You reprise your role as the Point Man, and you are separated from your squad, Jin and Holiday. Your overarching goal is to regroup with them and get to the extraction point.

Age of Empires III (PC) Review

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 17:49:00 -0500

I played Age of Empires 3 for the first time in 2005. My machine at the time was not powerful enough to handle this game, so I went back to AOE II. 17 years later, I picked up this game on Steam.

I paid $5.99 for the definitive edition, which includes Warchiefs and Asian Dynasties. I also purchased the United States Civilization for $2.49. I am yet to play any skirmish matches with United States Civilization. I played all the story missions including the expansions.

Extremely Fun Random Skirmish - Cyberpunk 2077 Diary

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 18:17:00 -0500

I am writing this post to commemorate last night’s gaming session. I was playing Cyberpunk 2077, and its probably the most fun I’ve had with an RPG in a very long time.

Years from now, I want to look back on this gaming session and remember the fun time. There are a many such gaming memories over the years, some over 20 years old. That one time when I started playing Tomb Raider 3 demo when I first got my computer back in 2000, when I played the tutorial level of Tomb Raider 4 late at night, that one session of Quake 3 with my neighbor where I won the round with about 5 seconds to spare (we talk about it to this day, after 15 years), when I beat Commandos after playing all night, that super frustrating session of GTA 3 where I resorted to using cheats to finish the level, the ending of Half Life 2 Episode 2, when I first stepped out of the vault in Fallout 3, when I played the beta of Battlefield 4 early in the morning and knew that it was going be a special game, I could go on.

Call of Duty Warzone - First Impressions

Sun, 29 May 2022 16:59:00 -0500

DICE released their latest Battlefield 2042 briefing. It was underwhelming and disappointing. They repeatedly insist that they are listening to feedback from the community, yet they continue to persist with the awful specialist system. To add insult to injury, there is only one map in the season 1 update. The only new content we are going to get until then are weapon skins (which are not that great to begin with).

Assassins Creed Rogue Review (PC)

Thu, 26 May 2022 20:44:00 -0500

I started playing Assassin’s Creed Rogue right after I finished Black Flag. I went from not playing an Assassin’s Creed in over two years to playing them back to back. I learned about the existence of this game while I was reading a review of Black Flag. The idea of a Black Flag like game set in North America felt very interesting to me. I really liked Black Flag, and I did not mind more of it. When I saw a picture of a ship with the northern lights in the background, I was sold.

ASUS ROG Strix Ultra-wide Monitor (XG349C) Review

Sat, 14 May 2022 22:18:00 -0500

I purchased this monitor on Amazon for $699. Then the price of monitor went down by $10 while the package was en route. I decided to contact the seller and asked them if they could give me a discount, and they responded shortly, and gave me a $10 refund. Very generous of them.

The monitor is a renewed model. I did not notice any issues with the monitor, cosmetic or otherwise. I got all the accessories, like display port, HDMI, USB-C cables etc. The price of the new model is $799 as of this writing (5/13/2022).

State of the Game - Battlefield 2042

Wed, 04 May 2022 20:16:00 -0500

I take no pleasure in writing this post. As a fan of Battlefield for over a decade, it saddens me to see the state of the game, and knowing that this could have all been avoided. This series has been my main multiplayer game for a long time now and I want Battlefield to do well. I am not here to laugh at its current pitiful state.

As of May 4, 2022, it has been 166 days since the launch on November 19, 2021. To date, there has been one minor update, and one major update (released on April 19, 2022), and zero new content. The updates themselves are hardly praiseworthy. They fixed some egregious bugs, and added some so called legacy features, such as a scoreboard, simple UI customization options. I still can’t get over the fact that they decided to ship the game without a scoreboard and a server browser. The latter is still missing for the main game as of this writing.

F.E.A.R (PC) Review

Sun, 01 May 2022 11:25:00 -0500

I first read about F.E.A.R when one of the computer gaming magazines I subscribed to had a demo for this game on the disk. Back in 2005, I did not have a computer good enough to run this game at settings that did justice to it. I believe I had a GeForce 5500FX, one of the worst GPUs to have ever been released, and it struggled to run this game at 1280x1024. I decided I wait for my next computer upgrade to play the demo.

Revisiting Battlefield 1 in 2022

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 18:13:00 -0500

I played a few rounds of Battlefield 1 today. It was a great experience. It got me thinking, how did DICE go from making a game as good as Battlefield 1, and follow that up with Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042?

A pristine looking Arisaka rifle

Weapon has cosmetic degradation as the round progresses

Fantastic atmosphere

Assassins Creed Black Flag (PC) Review

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 14:23:00 -0500

I finished Assassins’s Creed IV: Black Flag on Saturday, April 16, 2022, 1:15:00 PM. I got this game via Uplay for free a few years ago, and I finally decided to play it in March 2022 and I enjoyed this game despite Ubisoft’s best efforts.

The only other Assassin’s Creed game I played was the first game, and I never finished it because it frustrated me to no end. There were aspects I really liked, but the controls, and the mission design were really frustrating for me.

ROCCAT Vulcan 121 AIMO Cherry MX Brown Review

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 07:57:00 -0500

I purchased the Renewed version of this keyboard on Amazon for $64.76. The original retail price is $159.99. I ordered it on April 4, 2022 and it arrived on April 6, 2022, and I didn’t have to pay for shipping! Thank you Amazon.

The Corsair K70 Low Profile keyboard with Cherry MX Speed switches is my favorite keyboard of all time. I think this is a very close second. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy Cherry MX Brown switches, but I am happy to report that I do. I feel they are perfect for productivity. Although this keyboard is marketed as a gaming keyboard, I think I still prefer Speed switches for gaming. That said, I am going to try this keyboard for gaming for a while and see how I like it. I will try this as my primary keyboard for a while, and if I do not like it for gaming, I will swap this with my Corsair keyboard with Speed switches, and move this to my office setup.

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX Black Review

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 19:38:00 -0600

I purchased this case on Amazon for $107.89 on February 9, 2022.

I was planning on buying NZXT H510 Flow, but I decided against it because I have an MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING X TRIO. The length of the GPU is 324 mm (12.76"L x 5.51"H). I was unsure if the case would accommodate this GPU, therefore, I began searching for another case that wasn’t too expensive.

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 Review (LGA 1700)

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 09:01:00 -0600

NOTE for LGA 1700 Owners

Upgrade kits from Amazon are shipping with incorrect number of parts. I had to buy two upgrade kits to get all the parts I needed. The first kit I purchased only had three O-rings, while the second upgrade kit only had three LGA 1700 standoffs. My suggestion, buy two kits and RMA the other once you are done building. Someone at Arctic totally dropped the ball on this when packaging the kits.

Battlefield 2042 (PC) Review

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 14:16:00 -0600

Short Version

I like the game. I enjoy the maps in Conquest. 128 players is the way to go for the future of Battlefield. Not a huge fan of operators, but it doesn’t bother me too much, but if DICE removes the operators, that would be a huge step in the right direction. The game has a lot of potential and hopefully DICE will support this game the way they supported Battlefield 4. I would thoroughly recommend it for around $15. I believe there is fun to be had.

Battlefield 2042 Portal is Special

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 09:10:17 -0600

Today, I played the Conquest of the Ages playlist on Battlefield 2042 Portal, and it was amazing to see Noshar Canals and Caspian Border in the new Frostbite engine. The last time I played Battlefield 3 Conquest on Noshar Canals was on 5/12/2013, and Caspian Border was on 5/3/2013. That was 8 years ago. Life was very different back then. Battlefield was very different back then.

Firewatch (PC) Review

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 07:18:00 -0500

This is not a feeble attempt to be a contrarian, but I fail to see how this game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. It is possible that I am missing something?I don’t see how. Allow me elaborate.

My first introduction to walking simulators was with Dear Ester. I thought it was an interesting game, but I cannot recommend it at the asking price of $9.99 (at the time of this writing). There was absolutely no replay value, and the game is over in about 4 hours. It was an amusing experience, but it felt more like a level in a Half Life game, than a full fledged single player game. Nevertheless, I felt the genre had potential to be great. I heard good things about Firewatch and I wanted to play it, because I thought it was going to be a much better game.

Connecting to Linux EC2 with Putty & Running a Web Server

Sat, 10 Aug 2019 12:23:10 -0500

Here are the steps to connect to your EC2 instance using PuTTY. I am assuming that you have the private key downloaded, and you have all the information for the EC2 instance handy (public IP, dns name etc.). The private key you get from AWS is .pem format, which needs to be converted into .ppk format to allow accessing the instance with PuTTY.

Convert AWS Private Key (.pem) to PuTTY Private Key File (.ppk)

Launch PuTTYgen application from Start menu

Running Eclipse 2019-06 M1 version with Java 11

Sun, 05 May 2019 13:54:00 -0500

I had trouble getting Eclipse 2019-06 M1 (4.12.0M1) to run using JDK version 11. I had Java 8 installed on my machine, so when Eclipse launched, it was picking up Java 8.

After uninstalling Java 8, Eclipse wouldn’t launch because the new JDK wasn’t installed.

Adding this to the eclipse.ini file fixed the issue for me -

-vm
D:/java/jdk-11.0.3/bin/javaw.exe

eclipse.ini

Here is the full eclipse.ini file -

-startup
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.5.300.v20190213-1655.jar
--launcher.library
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.win32.win32.x86_64_1.1.1000.v20190125-2016
-product
org.eclipse.epp.package.jee.product
-showsplash
org.eclipse.epp.package.common
--launcher.defaultAction
openFile
--launcher.defaultAction
openFile
-vm
D:/java/jdk-11.0.3/bin/javaw.exe
--launcher.appendVmargs
-vmargs
-Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.8
-Dosgi.instance.area.default=@user.home/eclipse-workspace
-XX:+UseG1GC
-XX:+UseStringDeduplication
--add-modules=ALL-SYSTEM
-Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.8
-Dosgi.dataAreaRequiresExplicitInit=true
-Xms256m
-Xmx1024m
--add-modules=ALL-SYSTEM

After successfully getting Eclipse to use the new JDK, here is the version information -

Tomb Raider (2013) (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 15:02:00 -0500

Tomb Raider (2013) is yet another reboot after Tomb Raider Legend, which attempts to tell the origin story of Lara Croft. Its a modern take on the classic, and for someone who has played all the Core Design games except Angel of Darkness, in my opinion, the overall experience does not measure up to the original games.

The game looks great, and it ran very well on my 21:9 widescreen monitor, which was surprising considering that back in 2013, widescreen monitors were not very common.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 12:29:00 -0500

Shadow of Mordor is a third person action game developed by Monolith Productions, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive.

When it is reduced down to its most basic elements, the game is about killing orcs. Everything in revolves around that, and if the combat isn’t good, then it would make this game extremely tedious because a lot of time is spent in combat.

Fortunately, the combat is really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and there are times it can get repetitive, but learning new abilities which will happen as the player progresses through the missions will add to the variety. The game borrows heavily from the combat system of the Batman games. If you did not enjoy the combat in the Batman games, then there is a good chance you won’t like this game.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (PC) Review

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 23:12:00 -0600

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is a standalone DLC for Far Cry 3. The story and presentation are an homage to the glorious 80s and 90s Hollywood action movies.

Gameplay wise there is nothing very innovative here. It’s very competent. Where the game shines, is in the presentation,and dialogue. When it comes to parody, there is a fine line between goodhearted fun and being disrespectful to the source material. Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon manages to not cross that line, which is a compliment to the good writing.

Hard Reset (PC) Review

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 15:07:00 -0600

I recommend this game for the price I paid for it - $1 as a part of the a Humble Bundle deal.

Hard Reset was supposed to be an homage to the old school FPS games, but there are several design choices that prevent the game from reaching its potential.

The visuals are fantastic and they are by far the best aspect of the game. It played extremely well on a 21:9 ultrawide monitor without any problems, which is great considering this game was released in 2012.

Corsair H60 Review

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 05:30:00 -0500

On Friday (10/5/2018), I came home from a long day at work, and wanted to play some games. I started Battlefield 1, and I notice that the game was stuttering. I take a look at the temperature, and notice that the CPU (i7 6700k) was running at 90C.

I have a Corsair H50 AIO. I went through all kinds of troubleshooting. Applied new thermal paste, made sure the cooler was seated properly, and it made no difference. The CPU would idle at around 60C, and reach 90C+ during gaming.

Mad Max (PC) Review

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 06:29:00 -0500

Mad Max is a third person, open world, action game developed by Avalanche Studios (the studio behind the excellent Just Cause series), and published by Warner Bros. (Batman, series).

Mad Max incorporates a lot of open world staples. The developers have their own take on the tower climbing mechanic, where towers are now replaced by hot air balloons, which reveal the activities on a certain section of the map. There are plenty of markers on the map, and tons of different kind of side quests that will keep players busy, especially those determined to complete each area.

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone (PC) Review

Sat, 18 Aug 2018 18:04:00 -0500

Hearts of Stone is the first expansion to The Witcher 3. The game is set in the same world as the main game, specifically in the north eastern part of Novigrad.

There is quite a bit of new content here, but the highlight of this expansion is the story. This may be the best expansion to a video game I have ever played.

With the Game of The Year edition, I had the option to start the expansion with a default level 30 character, but I waited till I finished the main story to play the expansions. At least a level 30 character is recommended for the expansion, and by the end of the main story, I was well past that.

The Witcher 3 (PC) Review

Sat, 21 Apr 2018 11:11:00 -0500

My experience with Witcher games began 9 years after the release of the first game. I played The Witcher in November 2016 and I followed up immediately with The Witcher 2. I would have started playing Witcher 3 right after, but I did not own the game. In November 2017, it went on sale, on GOG.com, and I purchased the GOTY edition for $19.99.

I spent a little over 300 hours playing the main game. This is by far the most time I spent on a single player game. I remember reading some articles leading up to the release of Witcher 3 that this game is going to have a lot of content. I thought it might be filler, and to a small extent this is true, but by and large, I was entertained enough to complete all the side quests in all areas.

Set Up A Simple Website Using Tomcat & Namecheap

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 22:08:00 -0500

In this post, I will share the steps I used to create a very simple website using Tomcat webserver, and Namecheap DNS.

Web server configuration

Download the latest tomcat. The version in this case is 9.0.6. Download it HERE .
Create the following directory –

D:\MyWebsites

Paste the tomcat package directory inside the MyWebsites directory
Rename the package to the directory name of the website

This directory will serve the website

Purchased a Detuned EVGA GTX 1080 Ti By Mistake

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 05:54:00 -0600

I wanted to purchase a GeForce 1080 Ti, and I narrowed down the model to the 3 fan version from EVGA. I added it to my wishlist and waited for the right time to buy.

On Wednesday 12/13/2017, I was in the office, and I decided to go ahead and buy the GPU. I went on NewEgg, bought it and went about my day.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 DT DirectX 12 11G-P4-6694-KR 11GB

Must Play Games In 2018

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 07:36:00 -0600

I made a similar post in 2017 , and I have been good about finishing games in my backlog. Last year, I said that I wouldn’t purchase anymore games except Battlefield 1 Premium but I did end up buying a few.

Mad Max - $4.99
Battlefield 1 Premium - $49.99
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition PC - $1.89
Hitman: Blood Money - $1.79
Helldorado - $1.99
Humble Saints Row Bundle - $1.00
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS - $21.89 (By far the worst purchase. After playing it for a few hours, I do not see myself playing this game ever again)
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The - Game of the Year Edition - $19.99 (By far the best purchase. 100+ hours into the game, and I am still enjoying it)
Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain - $0.97
METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES - $3.99
Just Cause 3 - $7.49

The story for 2018 is very similar. The only game I am looking forward to buying is the new Battlefield title, assuming that it will be released this year, and that it won’t go the Battlefront route.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PC) Review

Sun, 26 Nov 2017 12:24:00 -0600

After the disaster that was Call of Juarez: The Cartel, I thought that this series is gone for good. It would be difficult for a game to redeem itself after a game like that. I was very surprised when they announced yet another game and this time around, they went back to the roots, with the game set in the Wild West.

Gunslinger is one of the most fun FPS games I have played. The last western FPS game I played was way back in 2005 called Outlaws. Great game, but western games never caught my attention since. Gunslinger looked very interesting, and when Humble Bundle offered this game for $1 as a part of Humble Ubisoft Bundle, there was no reason to not pick it up.

Spec Ops: The Line (PC) Review

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 16:53:00 -0600

Spec Ops: The Line is a 3rd person shooter developed by Yager Development. It was released in 2012. I remember watching a review about how this game was better than most of the military shooters released at the time, so I was interested in playing this game for the longest time. I never got to play it at launch, and having just finished it, I am glad I didn’t buy it at the time.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Review

Sat, 11 Nov 2017 09:30:00 -0600

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a Diablo inspired action RPG developed by NeocoreGames. The game is set in Eastern Europe where magic and science fiction coexist. You get to play as the son of Van Helsing from the original Dracula novel.

In this game, you find yourself in Borgova, which is plagued by monsters and it is your job to hunt them down, and free the land. This quest will take you through several areas like swamp forests, mines, sewers and elaborate futuristic steampunk cities. There is a lot of variety in level settings.

Towers Of Hanoi in Java

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 05:38:00 -0500

package recursion;

import java.util.Scanner;

public class TowersOfHanoi
{

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
//      Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
//
//      System.out.println("Enter the number of discs: ");
//      int numberOfDiscs = input.nextInt();
//
//      towersOfHanoi(numberOfDiscs, "A", "B", "C");
        towersOfHanoi(3, "A", "B", "C");

    }

    public static void towersOfHanoi(int discs, String source, String to, String destination)
    {
        if (discs == 1)
        {
            System.out.println(source + " --> " + destination);
        }
        else
        {
            towersOfHanoi(discs - 1, source, destination, to);
            System.out.println(source + " --> " + destination);
            towersOfHanoi(discs - 1, to, source, destination);
        }
    }
}

Battlefield 1 (PC) Single Player Review

Sun, 23 Jul 2017 08:33:00 -0500

The single player portion of Battlefield 1 consists of a collection of individual missions called War Stories, set in different parts of the world. War Stories are definitely better than Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 campaigns, though not as good as Bad Company 2 in my opinion. I obviously did not give the single player any consideration when buying Battlefield 1. I purchased it purely for the multiplayer. I would have preferred to pay for the multiplayer portion of the game and skip the single player entirely, but that is not possible. Hopefully Battlefield will go back to its roots of being a multiplayer only game, at some point.

Far Cry 3 (PC) Review

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 06:44:00 -0500

Contrary to the popular opinion, I did not enjoy Far Cry 2. I didn’t particularly like the setting, and the gameplay padding in the form of respawning guard posts was very annoying. When Far Cry 3 was announced, I did not have high hopes for it. I thought it was going to be another generic open world shooter made for the consoles and I completely ignored it.

In the winter of 2014, Far Cry franchise pack went on sale on Steam, and I thought it might be worth buying it because Far Cry 3 and Blood Dragon were included. I paid $9.99 for it. I did not want to pay anywhere close to full price for these games because Far Cry 3 requires Uplay - even the version purchased on Steam.

Razer BalckWidow Chroma V2 Review

Sat, 15 Jul 2017 14:23:00 -0500

I wanted to take my mechanical keyboard to work (tired of membrane keyboards). I wanted to buy a new keyboard for my gaming machine and take the one I have to work. I always wanted a Razer keyboard, but I avoided them because they did not come with a wrist rest. It is very uncomfortable for me to type without it.

When the BlackWidow Chroma V2 was announced, I thought I can finally give Razer mechanical keyboards a try. All the reviews I read, said that the keyboard is fantastic, and the wrist rest is the best part.

Max Payne 3 (PC) Review

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 22:04:00 -0500

I was looking forward to a sequel to Max Payne 2 for many years. When Max Payne 3 was announced, I eagerly waited for the reviews. They confirmed what I had suspected, this game deviated quite a bit from the classic Max Payne games. This was disappointing for me, so I did not buy it at launch. I picked it up on a sale for $3.99.

I am glad I did not pay more because this game is a thoroughly disappointing experience for me. I will never replay it, and it was uninstalled the moment I finished the game.

Wolfenstein: The New Order (PC) Review

Sat, 08 Jul 2017 22:22:00 -0500

The last Wolfenstein game I played was the 2009’s Wolfenstein developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was a fairly underwhelming experience, and it did not do well commercially, which resulted in layoffs, and the rights to this franchise were sold to Bethesda Softworks.

Machine Games ended up working on the next game in the series, Wolfenstein: The New Order. I thought they did a better job than Raven Software, but Return to Castle Wolfenstein still remains my favorite game in the series.

Batman Arkham Asylum (PC) Review

Sun, 21 May 2017 15:26:00 -0500

This is the first comic book based video game I played to completion. There are a lot of things to like about Arkham Asylum, but it has the usual console game design flaws.

The highlight of this game is the combat. It is a lot of fun when they let you have a free reign on how to approach enemies. There are often multiple ways of approaching an area. Stealth is almost always a viable option, and the game does a good job of giving player the tools needed to make different strategies possible. Chaining combos and using the batarangs to stun enemies is fantastic. I did not mind retrying certain sections a few times over to get the perfect result.

The Witcher Review

Mon, 15 May 2017 09:04:00 -0500

I am not sure how to review a game like this. I enjoyed it, but it has flaws. It reminds me a lot of STALKER in that way. Good story, and level design made me play this game to the end, but quite a few of mechanics are unpolished. I am hoping the sequels address these issues.

The highlights of this game are characters, environment, story and music. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, and the music is perfect. It is a true classic in my opinion, right up there with Deus Ex and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I have not played any of the other games in the series yet, but this game has set an excellent platform for future games.

Mionix Castor Review

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 12:12:00 -0500

I am primarily an FPS gamer and my game of choice at the moment is Battlefield 1. I played RTS games in the past, but for the last 4 years or so, different iterations of Battlefield have kept me occupied. I do not play any MOBA games, so everything said here is from the perspective of an online FPS gamer.

As for my mouse grip, I am fine with using a claw grip mouse for work, but for games, I absolutely need a palm grip mouse with easily accessible thumb buttons. Playing games with a mouse that does not offer this, just does not feel right. In the past, I have briefly used Razer Lachesis, and Razer Imperator. The Lachesis was unusable for me, it was too flat for my liking. Imperator felt a lot better in comparison, but it was not as good as the DeathAdder.

Amiens Full Round - Battlefield 1 Diary

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 07:22:00 -0600

This is footage of a full round of Amiens. It was played on 12/31/2016. We absolutely dominated the enemy team in the heavy tank. Amiens is an excellent map, and it is very rare to have an one sided round, but in this case, the enemy team just couldn’t capture enough points to put up a fight.

I went 29-0, where I spent most of the round in the heavy tank. Towards the end of the round, the tank got destroyed, but I survived, and picked up the flame trooper kit. I went to do some damage with this kit, and I got killed just as the round ended (17:25).

Corsair K70 RAPIDFIRE Cherry MX Speed Review

Sun, 26 Feb 2017 12:00:00 -0600

I purchased the Corsair K70 Rapidfire with Cherry MX Speed switches on Amazon for $99.99. Considering that a budget membrane keyboard can be had for around $15, these keyboards are for enthusiasts.

That said, just like I prefer a 144Hz monitor to a 60Hz monitor, I prefer a mechanical keyboard over a membrane keyboard. I have used quite a few mechanical keyboards over the last few years, and I think the search for the perfect keyboard for me, ends with the K70 with Cherry MX Speed switches.

VM on Windows 7 Freezing with VMware Player 12

Sat, 18 Feb 2017 14:54:00 -0600

I run a Windows 7 VM on a Windows 10 Host OS. I’ve been having issues with the VM freezing intermittently. The host OS does not have any issues. I have to shut down the VM through VMware controls, and restart it.

VMware Player Version

I looked at the VMware log to find this error -

2017-02-13T20:24:26.983-06:00| vmx| I125: GuestMsg: Channel 2, Cannot unpost because the previous post is already completed
2017-02-13T20:24:26.983-06:00| vmx| I125: GuestRpc: Reinitializing Channel 0(toolbox-dnd)
2017-02-13T20:24:26.983-06:00| vmx| I125: GuestMsg: Channel 0, Cannot unpost because the previous post is already completed
2017-02-13T20:24:30.429-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:24:36.432-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:24:42.735-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:24:48.710-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:25:00.711-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:25:14.736-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:25:30.789-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:25:48.203-06:00| vmx| I125: E1000: E1000 rx ring full, drain packets.
2017-02-13T20:25:51.683-06:00| vmx| I125: GuestRpcSendTimedOut: message to toolbox-dnd timed out.

I wasn’t sure if this was strictly related at first, but I noticed this error was in the log every time the VM froze. I did some research online, and there was a post on the VMware forums (don’t have the link at the moment), where someone suggested changing the send and receive buffers.

Witcher 2 (PC) Review

Sat, 11 Feb 2017 20:49:00 -0600

I played the GOG version. I would recommend this over the Steam version because it has no DRM. I purchased it for $5.99. I think it is well worth the price.

The Witcher 2 has done a lot of things better than the original. It is an overall polished game. This also meant that it is much more mainstream, and some elements are made with the consoles in mind.

Combat received a much needed overhaul. It is more free flowing, and it an overall better experience. It has some quirks, such as the target locking system, which can be unwieldy at times, especially when multiple enemies attack in a very narrow corridor. Combat styles are gone, and there is much reliance on dodging and using signs. I enjoyed this system a lot more compared to the first game.

Dear Esther (PC) Review

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 11:20:00 -0600

Walking simulators have received a lot of attention in the gaming media lately. Having never played one, I wanted to try Dear Esther.

The game is built on the Source engine. The story begins on an uninhabited island, and the narrator recounts events from the past, as you slowly walk through the levels. If you have played the game, and didn’t fully grasp all the details of the story, I recommend reading the story analysis done by Pop Matters, which can be found HERE .

Battlefield 3 Back to Karkand in 2017

Sat, 14 Jan 2017 11:30:00 -0600

In 2013 I purchased GeForce GTX780, and Battlefield 3 was my main game at the time. I ran the game at ultra settings to see how it was going to handle it. I have never played games at such high settings before, so I was thrilled at this prospect.

I was using the Hannspree HZ281HPB monitor at the time with a resolution of 1920x1200. At ultra settings, the 780 managed to deliver around 45-60 FPS, which at the time was great. Below is a video I recorded in June 2013.

2017 Backlog Gaming Challenge

Mon, 02 Jan 2017 13:06:00 -0600

In order to minimize the money I am going to spend on video games in 2017, I decided to make a list of games I want to finish before buying any new games, with the exception of Battlefield 1 Premium. I will buy the DLC pack for Battlefield 1 when the first DLC launches, and hopefully, I can find it a discounted price.

So here is a list of all the games, I want to finish before buying any new releases (Other than BF1 Premium) -

One Point Victory - Battlefield 1 Diary

Wed, 28 Dec 2016 10:50:00 -0600

On the evening of December 27, 2016, after I got home from work, I didn’t really have much to do. So I wanted to play some games. I decided to play Battlefield 1 because I did not play it in a while (or any games for that matter) due to Christmas travel.

I started the game, and joined an official server, like I always do. The round was on Amiens, followed by Ballroom Blitz. I did extremely well on both, and my team won those two rounds. I was going to quit at this point, but I decided to play one more round because I love Empire’s Edge.

Must Play Games In 2017

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 05:35:00 -0600

I decided to make a list of games I want to play in 2017. I realized that I will never get to finish and play all the games I own. I have 210 games on Steam, I finished about 40 of those, so I got a long way to go. I combed through GOG, Origin, Uplay and Steam and came up with this list -

Alan Wake
Assassins Creed 3 - Got it for free on Uplay. Never played an Assassin’s Creed game before, and I am not sure how well received this game was. I hear good things about Black Flag…but there is not a whole lot of talk about this one.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 1 Single Player
BioShock Infinite
Borderlands
Borderlands 2
Call of Juarez
Call of Juarez 2 Bound in Blood
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Commandos 3 - I am not sure if I will get to finish this game. Its difficult, and the fact that resolution is restricted to 1024x768 adds to the difficulty. I would still like to finish this.
Commandos Strike Force - The last game in the Commandos series. I would like to finish this purely for nostalgia sake.
Company of Heroes 2
Crysis 3 - Purchased this on Origin for a very low price. Its a good game to test my GeForce GTX 1080
Dear Esther - The very first walking simulator…I’d like to see what they are all about.
Dishonored
Dying Light
Fallout New Vegas - I haven’t played a Fallout game in a very long time. I think New Vegas would be a good game to get back into the series.
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
Hard Reset
Max Payne 3
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Got it on Steam sale a few days ago.
Watch Dogs 2 - Got it free with my Samsung SSD
Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings - Finished The Witcher over the weekend. This game is next on the list.
Wolfenstein: The New Order - Picked it up on sale a few days ago

I want to make sure I don’t buy a whole lot of games in 2017. If at all I end up buying games, these are the ones on my watch list -

Armored Shield Full Round - Battlefield 3 (PC)

Wed, 07 Dec 2016 05:17:00 -0600

This full round of Armored Shield was recorded on May 1, 2013, using FRAPS. Quality is terrible. I managed to do well and reach the top of the scoreboard. That does not happen too often.

Grand Theft Auto 4 (PC) Review

Sun, 28 Aug 2016 11:01:00 -0500

I know I am about 8 years late to the GTA 4 PC party. When I first saw this game announced for the PC, it looked great in the trailers but I couldn’t buy it at launch because it was too expensive. I picked this up for $7.50 during a steam sale, therefore I am not terribly unhappy for what I got, but not worth the $60 launch price.

Where do I even begin describing the problems with this game. Let’s start with the awful GFWL.

Battlefield 4 - Engineer 100

Sat, 27 Aug 2016 19:14:00 -0500

Battlefield 3, which I purchased in 2012, was one of the best games I played at the time. Even though the weapon balance was great, I still enjoyed the game a lot. I loved the maps and the gun play.I put in 718 hours into it.

I remember thinking at the time that I may not put in as much time in Battlefield 4 because I did not believe it was going to be as good. That was 3 years ago. As of 10/16/2016, I put in a ridiculous 2391 hours. Definitely got my money’s worth out of this game. Battlefield Hardline came and went, but it did not measure up Battlefield 4 for me, and it looks like the community in general did not receive the game very well, which is a shame because some of the maps in Hardline were fantastic.

Evolution of my battlestations

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 07:11:00 -0500

In this post, I am going to walk through all my battlestations over the years. It is interesting to see the evolution of computer setups (if you are a nerd). I reached a point where there really isn’t much else for me to change. I intend to get the next Intel processor (Kaby Lake) along with a pascal GPU. The monitors however, will stay for the foreseeable future.

Now, let’s look at where it all started.

Buying our first home

Sat, 19 Mar 2016 20:43:00 -0500

We closed on our first home on Friday December 18, 2015. The final price of the home was $167,700. We made a 20% down payment, and paid an additional $1257.77 towards the closing cost. The process was easier than I had anticipated, and we found just the kind of house we wanted.

I decided to document the timeline of events. The following is our story about finding and buying our first home.

To pay off the house or not pay off the house, that is the question.

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 22:12:00 -0600

I am in a very fortunate situation of having enough cash reserves to pay off the house this instant. Of course, if I were to do that, I will have very little cash on hand. I will still not be penniless, because I still have my very modest retirement fund, but that’s not something I can rely on for my immediate needs.

I currently owe $132,504.02 on the house to Wells Fargo, at the rate of 3% for a 15 year term. All things considered, I got an extremely good deal. It would have been better had I purchased a house in the middle of 2015, when the interest rates were as low as 2.875% for a 15 year term, but the house I ended up purchasing wasn’t on the market at the time. I have absolutely no regrets about waiting, because I found the perfect house.

Azadi Palace Full Round - Battlefield 3 (PC)

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 04:22:00 -0600

This is the first of many post I plan to make. I’ve got videos of full rounds on all maps in Battlefield 3 maps. Played this round on May 7th, 2013.This was before the ShadowPlay days. I used DxTory record the gameplay.

At the time I was using a Hannspree HZ281HPB monitor which had a resolution of 1920x1200. I couldn’t imagine a better monitor at the time. Little did I know that WQHD was right around the corner.

Gigabyte Support Was a Let Down

Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:42:00 -0600

Short version

December 31, 2015 - Started having problems with my Gigabyte motherboard
January 3, 2016 - Purchased MSI motherboard
January 13, 2016 - Sent Gigabyte motherboard for RMA
January 25, 2016 - Gigabyte sent me my motherboard. They said they tested it, and found nothing wrong with it.
February 8, 2016 - MSI motherboard started having issues.
February 8, 2016 - Tried to the use the Gigabyte motherboard, it was still broken. Had the exact problems as before, they fixed nothing.
February 9, 2016 - Sent MSI motherboard for RMA
February 25 - Got the new motherboard that MSI sent me, installed it, everything is working fine now. Life is happy. Hope it stays this way.

Conclusion - I am going not buy another Gigabyte motherboard because their support was a let down. I will stick to MSI and if they fail me, I will have to turn to ASUS or ASRock.

Battlefield 4 Diary

Mon, 25 Jan 2016 04:12:00 -0600

Jan 25, 2016 Saturday 06:12:00 AM CST: Dragon Valley 2015 MVP

Battlefield 4 is the game I played more than any other game. I played this more than all the other games I ever played combined. So I got my money’s worth. All thanks to DICE LA.

The round I played yesterday was pretty great. Joined with a friend when things weren’t looking good for our team. Managed to do well and help our team win.

Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed Diary

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 19:15:00 -0600

Jan 24, 2016 Sunday 07:15:00 PM CDT

Purchased this game in 2011 from NewEgg for $7.64 (including shipping). This was back when EA was still selling DVDs of their games, and Origin was in its infancy.

I really enjoyed the first Shift game. When I found this game for cheap, I couldn’t resist. So much so that I hadn’t played it for 4 years.

After 2500+ hours of Battlefield (both 3 and 4), I want to get back into single player gaming again. Hence why I resumed F.E.A.R. as well.

F.E.A.R Diary

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 18:53:00 -0600

Jan 24, 2016 Sunday 06:53:00 PM CST: Procrastination

I played some more F.E.A.R. today. Really like the it. Its a traditional PC game. Its got quick save, checkpoint save and manual save. They don’t make games like this anymore. When I first played the demo for this game in 2005, I waited to play the full version because at the time I was using a BFG GeForce FX5500OC AGP card. I could barely run the game on medium at 1024x768.

Patch Gaming First Post

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 13:36:00 -0600

Writing this first post on a cold winter day on January 24, 2016. I intend to keep this blog all about the games I am going to play.

At the moment, I have GTA 4, Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed, F.E.A.R and Dying Light installed on my machine. I intend to finish these three games as quickly as possible so I can move onto other games in my Steam account.

Battlelog Waiting For Game To Exit Solution

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 19:57:00 -0500

I am not sure if this is the only solution, but this has worked for me so far.

I am using Firefox to launch the game. I have my Use plugin-free game launching set to OFF

Battlelog

Battlefield 4 is set to use the 64 bit exe to launch the game

Origin

This is probably the most important step. I basically “deleted” the 32 bit web helper for Battlefield 4

At this point I am able to play the game like I did before, and I haven’t had any problems joining the game. Battlelog, EA Support were of no help so far.

Installing Windows 7 on Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD7 TH

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 19:47:00 -0500

Following is my computer configuration -

PCPartPicker

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD7 TH ATX LGA1150
G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400
Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower
Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V
LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer
Hannspree HZ281HPB 27.5"
Asus VG278HE 27.0"
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD
Razer DeathStalker
Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical
Creative Labs Creative Fatal1ty
Acer P243WAid 24" 1920 x 1200 Monitor

I attempted to install Windows 7 on this machine. I set the DVD drive as the boot device, and when Windows 7 finished loading files, the installer started, but I couldn’t proceed forward because the keyboard and mouse aren’t detected by Windows 7. I pluged the devices in different USB slots, but that did not help.

Make Excel 2010 Open In a New Instance

Fri, 10 Oct 2014 05:37:00 -0500

This is a registry tweak to make MS Excel 2010 open documents in new instances when they are opened by double clicking on filename in Windows Explorer (or similar programs).

Backup registry
Make sure the backup can be restored
Changes to the registry

There are three values that need to be changed to make Excel documents in a new instance each time for XLSX extension.

In the registry editor, Navigate to the following path -
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT -> Excel.Sheet.12 -> shell -> Open -> command
Double click on the (Default) entry
Now, paste the following at the very end of the value: “%1”
Be sure to add space after /dde. The value should look something like this: "<path>" /dde "%1"
Now, rename the “command” registry entry right below the (Default) entry to “command2”
Check the screenshot below
Rename the folder “ddeexec” to “ddeexec2”
Check the screenshot below

This should allow excel to open files in new instances by default. also disabling DDE in the Excel options does not always work. This fix is for XLSX extension.

Hassle of Opening an Account With GE Capital Bank

Wed, 28 May 2014 08:49:00 -0500

I attempted to open a long term CD, and I did some research on what bank to use on BankRate. I found that GE Capital bank was offering 2.30% APY on a 6 year term. I found this acceptable.

I called the customer service, and I spoke to them about early withdrawal etc., and after learning about the terms, I filled out the online application form. The application process was simple enough, and it even says on the website that opening an account usually takes 10 minutes - it doesn’t say that filling out the form usually takes less than 10 minutes.

One Point Victory - Battlefield 4 Diary

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0600

On February 9, 2014, I had this urge to play as a sniper with a suppressed SV-98. I have gotten a lot better playing as a sniper over the course of Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 1, but at the time, I was pretty terrible.

I ended the round at 24-12, which is fantastic all things considered.

However, that was not the highlight for this round. We were behind on the scoreboard for the most part, but as the round progressed, we closed the gap. By the time I was down, the score was at 11-32.

Battlefield Moment With Nvidia ShadowPlay

Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:00:00 -0600

For those that are not familiar, ShabowPlay is a program that is bundled with GeForce experience - the download for this is available on the Nvidia website. This program is compatible with Nvidia GeForce 6 and 7 series desktop video cards.

Depending on the specified settings, the program automatically saves the specified time of gameplay in a temporary location, and the user can hit a key combination to save the video to the hard drive. I do not see any loss in performance when this software is running in the background. I am using an EVGA GeForce GTX 780 ACX.

Battlefield 4 Launch Fiasco

Sun, 17 Nov 2013 16:33:00 -0600

The launch of Battlefield 4 was very disappointing. It felt as if those who pre ordered the game were paying to beta test it. It was such a broken mess at times, that I find it hard to believe they released it in such a state. Problems in the beta are present in the release version. Makes me wonder what the beta accomplished.

To an extent I understand the server side problems which were taken care of as quickly as they possibly could, but some issues with the base game are hard to justify.

Battlefield 4 Pre-Order Fiasco & Amazon to the Rescue

Sun, 27 Oct 2013 14:34:00 -0500

I have done two things wrong here:

Pre-ordering a game
Pre-ordering on Origin

I believe pre-ordering a game is not a smart thing to do these days. However, I am making an exception for Battlefield 4. In retrospect, I should have known better than this. I’ve had similar problems with Mass Effect 3 when purchasing on Origin.

I will try to never make these mistakes again. So here is what happened:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PC) - My Thoughts

Sat, 13 Jul 2013 01:55:00 -0500

When they announce a new Call of Duty game - I am optimistic. Maybe this time around things will be different; maybe its not, all flash and no substance; maybe they don’t treat gamers like puppets; maybe the gameplay will justify the hype and just maybe the game is going to be good.

Then I play the game - and disappointment ensues. Within the first couple of missions, I know exactly how the entire game is going to play out - pretty much as badly as the previous ones. This serves to reinforce the point - just because the marketing people managed to get a lot of TV coverage for a game, it does not make the game any good. It just means the marketing people are doing one hell of job, while the developers are rehashing the old formula to death.

EVGA GeForce GTX780 ACX Cooler Review

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:03:00 -0500

I purchased the new EVGA GeForce GTX 780 with ACX cooler on June 5, 2013 for $659.99 + 3.99 shipping on NewEgg. Buying these high end cards on launch is a tricky deal. They are in stock for about 10 minutes before they are sold out. Of all the cards I have seen on NewEgg at the time, this one was the best in terms of factory overclocked settings. Even the awesome looking Gigabyte model had lower clock speeds.

Unlocking the L85A2

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:10:00 -0600

To unlock the L85A2 in Battlefield 3, two assignments need to be completed in this order:

Best Friend Forever

This requires:

10 revives
10 heals

Professional Russian

100 Kills with assault rifles
20 kills with underslung grenade launcher
Win 5 rounds of squad deathmatch (SQDM).

All of those can be easy enough, except winning 5 rounds of squad deathmatch.

I have tried to join in to a SQDM by myself, but I never had any luck winning. The chances of winning a SQDM game are one in four, and going solo has never really helped. The best way to do this is to be in a squad. I had my wife join me, and we won five out of the 8 games we played.

Mass Effect 3 and Guild Wars 2

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 02:07:00 -0600

Mass Effect 3

I played a little more of Mass Effect 3, and I am still impressed with it. I just finished playing a quest where one of my favorite characters in the previous game is killed off. That was a little disappointing. The mission had me make some tough decisions.

I enjoy the gameplay in Mass Effect 3 so much, that it makes me put up with some very awkward controls. I am not a fan of the way the cover system works. There are several times when I wanted to run, and I took cover instead, and times when I vaulted over cover when I wanted to just stay behind cover. Any other game would have probably annoyed my to a point where I would just give up playing. I hate putting up with console controls on PC. Mass Effect is an exception.

Hamachi Logging Off After Disconnecting

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:04:00 -0600

I’ve been using Hamachi for a while, and everything was fine, until recently.

I remote into my home laptop when I am away. One fine evening when I was out of town, I was using my laptop at home remotely, and once I was done working, I put my computer to sleep. When I resumed working, I couldn’t remote into my home laptop anymore. At the time I thought something must have happened to my home internet connection, and Hamachi couldn’t log back in.

Battlefield 3 Aftermath - Scavenger Mode Tips

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:41:00 -0600

I started my first game of Aftermath on December 4, 2012, with a round of Scavenger on Azadi Palace. This gentleman , happens to be my first victim.

So here are a few tips on playing scavenger mode for people like me, who are not the best shot with pistols. Keep in mind, some of these are very obvious, I don’t pretend to have just discovered them. This is to help folks who are new to the game.

Yahoo! Mail - Still a train wreck

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:01:00 -0600

I have been a user of Yahoo! since 2001. Back in the day, I used to love this service, and I don’t remember the ads being intrusive at all. I wasn’t a huge fan of the interface, but it was functional, so I didn’t really care to switch to Gmail.

Soon flash ads started appearing. Every time I sent an email, I would look at an ad in the sent confirmation page. Then Yahoo! “upgraded” their service to the New Yahoo! Mail. This was cluncky as hell, and now the ads are far more intrusive.

Battlelog Feature Requests

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:26:00 -0600

When Battlefield 1942 was given away for free on Origin, a week ago, I decided to give it a try. I haven’t played this game in years, and I completely forgot all about it.

When I started it, it came back me - the server browser was extremely clunky. I wasn’t much of a multiplayer gamer back then and apart from Quake 3, I didn’t really much else. I didn’t know any better.

Battlefield 3 Desktop

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:54:00 -0600

I wanted to create a Battlefield 3 theme desktop setup, when I bought the Battlefield 3 version of the Razer Imperator.

Battlefield 3 Desktop

I have been a fan of the DeathAdder for the longest time, but the Imperator surpasses it in terms of features and comfort. The Battlefield 3 logo is a nice addition. I would never consider paying more for a mouse that serves as an advertisement, but I was surprised to find it for $10 less than the regular version.

My Most Anticipated Games

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:39:46 -0600

I wanted to talk about some of the games I am looking forward to the most.

Battlefield 4

There are absolutely no details known about Battlefield 4 at this point. This is all we really know about it.

from staticcontent repo

I can only hope that DICE doesn’t make this a consolized game. Battlefield 3 wasn’t, so I have no reason to believe that Battlefield 4 would be any different.

The Battlefield 3 Problem

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:57:00 -0500

When I first purchased Battlefield 3, I never would have believed that I would play it for almost 250 hours, considering that I returned it the first time I bought. I purchased it the second time, and it seemed like a different game!

Too much Battlefield 3

So anyway, what this has done is prevented me from playing any other game. I have a large number of games I haven’t even started playing yet, and I have a feeling I will never finish them in my lifetime.

Runtime Array in C#

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:11:00 -0500

/*
 * This program, accepts the size of the array from the user.
 * Check to see if the size is a number, if its not, it will
 * display a message and terminate.
 * If it is, the user is asked to enter the elements into the
 * array.
 * Each element is parsed into int. if it is not successful, a
 * message is displayed.
 * there are two functions which do the same conversion, but
 * display different exit messages depending on the element that
 * is incorrect. The last element will have a different exit message
 * if the value is incorrect.
*/
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace RuntimeArray
{
    class RuntimeArray
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Enter the size of the array: ");
            string s = Console.ReadLine();
            int size;
            //take the number in string s, convert it into int and store it in size
            bool NumerOrNot = Int32.TryParse(s, out size);

            //if s is not a number, print out a message and exit
            if (!NumerOrNot)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("This is not a number. ");
                Console.WriteLine("Press enter to terminate.");
                Console.Read();
            }

            string[] s1 = new string[size];
            Console.WriteLine("Enter {0} numbers", size);
            for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
            {
                //reading elements from the console
                s1[i] = Console.ReadLine();
                //the exit message is different for the last element of the array
                if (i == size - 1)
                {
                    //a different function is called with a different exit message
                    //this function will try to parse the element into int.
                    TryToParse2(s1[i]);

                }
                else
                {
                    //this function will try to parse the element into int.
                    TryToParse(s1[i]);
                }

            }
            Console.WriteLine("All the elements entered so far: ");
            for (int j = 0; j < size; j++)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Element {0}: {1}", j, s1[j]);
            }
            Console.WriteLine("Press enter to terminate.");
            Console.Read();
        }
        public static bool TryToParse(string s2)
        {
            int number;

            s2.Trim();
            bool result = Int32.TryParse(s2, out number);

            if (result)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("The string {0}, has been parsed into the number: {1}", s2, number);
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("This is not a number. Enter a number: ");

            }
            return true;
        }
        public static bool TryToParse2 (string s3)
        {
            int number;

            s3.Trim();
            bool result = Int32.TryParse(s3, out number);

            if (result)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("The string {0}, has been parsed into the number: {1}", s3, number);
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("This is not a number.");

            }
            return true;
        }
    }
}

Battlefield 3 - Unexpected Fun

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:53:00 -0500

I purchased Battlefield 3 back in November from Amazon. It was one of the few times I bought a game so close to the launch. I played the Alpha and I was very impressed with it.

Having bought the game however, I encountered several problems with it. I am quite sure that the problems were at my end, because my friends were able to log in play just fine. For whatever reason, this was encountered way too often:

New Computer Setup

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:07:00 -0500

I have recently added some LED bias lights to my monitor. The previous bias lights I had were USB based ; they wouldn’t change color, and they did not have an ON/OFF switch. So I bought a different set of lights from Amazon .

The remote control that comes along with the bias lights kit is a little sketchy, because its IR. So it works intermittently. The biggest drawback I could think of is the fact that should the remote ever not work, its not possible to change colors or turn the lights ON/OFF except unplug them from the power.

My Windows 8 Preview Impressions

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:44:00 -0500

I have started messing around with Windows 8 Consumer Preview recently. I installed it on a VM using Virtual Box. Its quite straight forward, and it worked quite well in a VM. It can be unstable to start with, needing a few restarts to boot, but once booted, its quite stable, and it works well.

The question to me is, is it worth upgrading? As it stands, I don’t think so. I am not going to upgrade because to me it seems more like a stripped down version of Windows. There are severe limitations when using the desktop version, and all the apps don’t really add any value. It just seems to limit the functionality. I can’t imagine any business upgrading to Windows 8, considering that Windows 7 is so stable, reliable, and easy to use.

Tripod as a Carry On

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:23:00 -0600

I recently went on a trip to San Antonio and I wasn’t sure if I could carry a tripod. Since I did not have any check-in luggage, I had to carry it with me.

I wasn’t sure if a tripod will be allowed as a carry on item. I checked the TSA website and a tripod wasn’t listed on there.

I was traveling by Southwest Airlines, so I checked their website for any baggage requirements. It says on the website that walking canes or umbrellas are not counted against the “one-bag plus one personal-type item” limit. So I figured I could take my chance.

What happened to Quick Save?

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:31:00 -0600

I am not sure how and when this started, but it is getting really annoying. I understand that for some people this is not a problem, but some of us care about this. It feels like my experience is more watered down without options that were available to games from 8 years ago. There is no reason why the developers are not giving players the option to quick save in 2012!

Blogbytes: My First Post

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:18:00 -0500

This is not the first time I creating a blog, and this probably won’t be the last. However, I hope I find the time to update this on a regular basis. I am really not sure what might blog about; there is a good possibility that it might be random and not concentrate on a specific topic. Who knows…time will tell.

Until then, here’s hoping that this attempt will not be short lived.

Contract J.A.C.K. (PC) Review

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:23:00 -0500

Its hard to imagine these were the same folks who gave us No One Lives Forever and No One Lives Forever 2. The fantastic humor, varied gameplay are all gone, and all that left is monotones shooter which tries hard to capture the magic of the previous games, but fails at just about everything and ends up being very bland. its not a terrible game, but its just not very good.

Far Cry 2 (PC) Review

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Friday, August 20, 2010, 8:48:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on November 13, 2010.

I can’t remember being this mad at a game. Far Cry 2 showed me new levels of boredom and rage that I am yet to experience. The reason I get so angry is because the game had great fantastic potential. It easily could have been one of the best games ever made. It had all the right elements. However, the stupid decisions the developers made turned this game from a fantastic shooter to a mind-numbingly boring game that tries everything and fails rather miserably.

Halo: Combat Evolved (PC) Review

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 10:20:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on November 2, 2010.

Many people regard Halo as the savior of Xbox, which didn’t have a lot of games worth mentioning at the time of its launch. Halo helped Xbox compete with Sony’s PlayStation 2. It was released on PC two years later, in 2003.

I have only just finished Halo, and I can see why the game is as famous as it is on console.

Given The Gift of Game

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:35:00 -0500

S.T.A.L.K.E.R Call of Pripyat DVD Cover

I want to give a shout out to my friend JackBurton . He gifted me S.T.A.L.K.E.R Call of Pripyat the other day over Steam. I am super excited about playing it. I’ll probably get to it as soon as I finish Mass Effect 2 followed by Vampire Bloodlines.

I wanted this game for a long time, but money has been hard to come by. Thanks again Jack, much appreciated.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) Review

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Friday, October 2, 2009, 5:30:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on October 22, 2010.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R is one of those games that is hard to describe. Games like this are produced once in a generation. S.T.A.L.K.E.R enjoys a cult like following among PC gamers and for a good reason too.

At release, it was quite buggy for most people. Thankfully, I never bought it at release. I have been told stories of people who played about 30% of the game and the developers released a patch which rendered the previous saves useless. I can imagine the frustration of gamers who bought it at launch.

Browser Nostalgia

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:35:00 -0500

With the release of a new generations of browsers a few months away, I thought I should take a look at some of the older browsers we used back in the day. I managed to get hold of some old versions and tested them on a Windows 7 machine. Over the next few months I plan to write at least one more browser related blog. So bear with me.

Firefox v0.8

I tested the oldest version Firefox I could fine – version 0.8. I am surprised that the browser is not all that bad! Its definitely functional and I would definitely recommend this for people who are still using Pentium III or IV machines.

New Generation of Browser Wars

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:56:00 -0500

Microsoft announced today that they are going to release a new version of their browser, Internet Explorer 9. This announcement comes in the wake of Mozilla releasing their new beta version of Firefox 4 beta. Google Chrome is being updated every few weeks, and I have lost track of the version.

I use Firefox on all my PCs. However, for me, it is far from perfect in terms of interface. IE 8 for me has the perfect interface; thankfully, Firefox lets me get that IE look by using Vista Aero theme. I can’t quite praise this theme enough.

Valve: Three Surprises

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:57:00 -0500

So back in August, exactly a month ago, PC Gamer interviewed Valve Software at length. They talked about many things, but conspicuously absent was any mention of Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Yet again, I was disappointed.

However, Gabe Newell did say this during the interview:

Gabe Newell: Yeah. The average surprise is negative, not positive, and so if we’re going to surprise people we need to be conscious of that fact. Because we’re going to continue to surprise. We have three pretty big surprises in the next twelve months, at least.

Games To Look Forward To

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:30:00 -0500

I was disappointed that there was no update on Doom 4 at 2010 Quake Con and Rage was pushed to September 2011! That was a double dose of disappointment for me. I was hoping I would be able to play Rage this year along with Crysis 2.

Well, as things would turn out, Crysis 2 is pushed all the way to March 2011. I am not sure what I have to look forward to this year. There is the new Medal of Honor and Call of Duty: Black Ops. I am interested in seeing how they are going to perform, but I had absolutely no intention of playing them until they are available for under $10.

Post Finals Bliss

Sun, 09 May 2010 10:23:00 -0500

As I said in my previous blog, I’ve had the most dreadful time leading up to the finals. I took four courses this semester, and the week before finals, I had submissions due in all of them. Organizing time this particular semester had been difficult. Its always difficult, but this semester was more so.

Now that I am done with the finals, and I made an A in one of the courses (Yes!), I decided to celebrate. I ordered pizza and breadsticks from Papa John’s, and that set me back by $33! It was an expensive proposition. I still have the barbecue chicken and bacon pizza in the fridge. I have a small appetite and it takes a long time for me to run through that large pizza. I intend to finish it by tomorrow night and then get back to eating regular healthy food.

Long Overdue Update

Sun, 02 May 2010 15:41:00 -0500

After my enthusiastic first post on my new blog which I started with the intention to update every week, I haven’t had the time to get back to it ever since.

The last week of April (26th to 30th) has been particularly bad. I had five submissions over five days, and I barely had time to finish them. I don’t understand how everything accumulates to the very last minute. No matter how hard I try I only manage to finish them the night before the deadline. I’ve got to learn to better manage my time.

BioShock (PC) Review

Sat, 01 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 9:45:00 PM. This review was first published on Saturday, May 1, 2010.

BioShock for me is one of those games that I had a hard time getting into. Unlike most people who were mesmerized with the setting of Rapture, I sort of found it a little dull. I persisted nevertheless and it paid off.

It has a very unique setting - an underwater city. Set in the 1960s, the game captures the feel of the era very well. Beginning with a plane crash in the Atlantic that leads the main character Jack into the underwater city Rapture, which is the brainchild of visionary, Andrew Ryan. The story is not very clear right from the start, but it unravels soon enough. The idea of telling the story through audio logs is not particularly revolutionary, we have seen an attempt made in Doom 3, which had a huge collection of audio logs and diaries. That went by virtually unacknowledged, and Doom 3 was accused of not having a story at all. Not so here. Voice acting is brilliant. Story is a little complex to understand at the beginning, its easy to get the big picture, but the nuances aren’t very clear. It took me a little bit of time to connect all the dots.

README.TXT First Post and More

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:08:00 -0500

After blogging on GameSpot for over 4 years, I decided to move on and start my own blog.

I have a feeling I will be writing for myself for the most part, and to the occasional reader who happens to drop by – Hey!

So it’s 2:37AM and I am listening to Saviour by Norther . I just got done composing what I hope will be my last blog on GameSpot (I will feel really stupid if I end up going back there again). I sort of made a fuss and left.

Mass Effect (PC) Review

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Thursday, December 10, 2009, 8:44:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on Mar 07, 2010.

Mass Effect is the first Bioware I played. I went in, knowing nothing about the game. My initial impressions of the game were far from good. I found the combat quite tedious and the game was really slow. I was sort of expecting that, having played games like Deus Ex. Mass effect has a much bigger world. In fact it’s gigantic. I have to applaud the level design here.

Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth (PC) Review

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:14:00 -0600

I spite the unsuccessful attempts to make an action game out of this franchise, I still felt an RTS was an unusual choice for this series; perhaps this is because of my relative inexperience in RTS; Age of Empires is the only RTS game I played.

This game follows the entire story of The Lord of the Rings, not just one part. It does take liberties with the story, for example, Boromir can live through the entire campaign and even fight in Mordor depending on how you play the game. That is not necessarily a bad thing, its a lot of fun to have all your main characters fight in the ultimate battle. It is a huge game in terms of longevity and scales of battle with beautiful graphics and two long campaigns - good and evil. I felt it captured the epic sense of scale as the movies did.

Quake 3: Arena (PC) Review

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

id software were once regarded as the top developers of FPS games on the PC. They are responsible for some of the biggest names in FPS such as Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake. Quake III: Arena took a different route to the previous Quake games. Quake and Quake II were primarily single player games with a strong multiplayer base. For the first time in the series, id software made a game that focused almost exclusively on multiplayer. Several issues of the previous games are addressed and they made a game that is going strong even after 10 years of its release.

Mirrors Edge (PC) Review

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Friday, September 25, 2009, 7:39:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on November 1, 2009.

Mirror’s Edge is a first person running game developed by DICE. You play as Faith, a free runner. The story is set in a modern utopian society with a totalitarian government. Invasive surveillance is a part of life in this city and runners help exchange information between parties without getting caught.

Deus Ex (PC) Review

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

An unfortunate event that occurred in PC gaming is the decline of certain genres and franchises which deserved to be recognized but somehow became underrated and made a quiet exit. When I think of such franchises, Deus Ex comes to mind.

Websites all over the internet have only great things to say about this game. And yet, it hasn’t become popular like other mainstream titles. This game has a target audience in mind, it’s certainly not for the casual weekend gamer, nor is it for someone who is enjoys run and gun sort of gameplay.

Wolfenstein (2009) (PC) Review

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, September 3, 2009, 3:02:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on October 1, 2009.

When Wolfenstein was first announced back in 2005, I had very high hopes. I could not wait to play it. Return to Castle Wolfenstein remains one of my favorite games. Having played Soldier of Fortune and enjoying it immensely, I was happy to know Raven would be in charge of the development. After playing Quake 4, I was confident it would be fantastic.

Commandos 2: Men of Courage (PC) Review

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Monday, August 13, 2007, 1:21:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on September 13, 2009.

World War II was not just about charging head on into enemy territory in Normandy. There is an entirely different facet to war - to infiltrate behind enemy lines and wreck enemy operations from within.

Commandos 2, like its predecessor, follows the exploits of a group of British Commandos who penetrate enemy operations and cause major destruction.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005) (PC) Review

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, May 28, 2009, 8:05:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on July 20, 2009.

Need For Speed series was reinvented with Underground, the series focused solely on illegal street racing. Underground and Underground 2 focused on nighttime racing. Most Wanted takes place during the daylight. It is a welcome change after two games which were exclusively under street lights.

This time around, there is a stronger emphasis on the story. Underground 2 had a story for the first time in the series but it was weak and was not treated very well. Most Wanted has a better story line and played a stronger part in the game.

Gears of War (PC) Review

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 10:09:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 27, 2009.

Gears of War is a 3rd person shooter developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was first released as an Xbox 360 exclusive, and it went on to become one of the most successful games for the console. It was later released for the PC with some added content and better visuals to support the high end graphics cards.

Red Faction 2 (PC) Review

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 8:03:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 14, 2009.

This game is a sequel to the fairly successful Red Faction. It explores the situation back on earth in 22nd century, 5 years after the uprising on Mars.

For 15 years Chancellor Victor Sopot has oppressed the people on Earth belonging to the Commonwealth. You play the role of Alias, a demolitions expert, who is a part of a 6 member rebel group united to put an end to the tyranny of the evil Chancellor. As you play the game, you will find that the story takes a few unexpected twists.

Call of Duty: United Offensive (PC) Review

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Monday, February 5, 2007, 10:52:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 10, 2009.

Call of Duty United Offensive is an expansion to Call of Duty. It is developed by Grey Matter Interactive. They developed games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.

The game is centered around three allied forces – United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union. It includes some of the key battles of World War II such as Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Kursk, and the Invasion of Sicily.

Quake 4 (PC) Review

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Saturday, June 6, 2009, 11:49:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 7, 2009.

For the first time ever, a Quake game is not developed in house by id Software. Raven Software, the developers of Soldier of Fortune, were entrusted with the job of creating a new Quake game. The story continues right after Quake 2, where the unnamed marine destroyed the Makron, and the player, as a part of Rhino squad has to secure the planet of Stroggos.

Crysis (PC) Review

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 3:36:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 3, 2009.

I believed that FPS genre has reached a point where there is not much room for innovation, especially after Portal. Crysis for me, took action FPS in a new direction.

Crysis is set in the year 2019. Us scientists have made some significant discoveries on one of Lingshan Islands. The North Korean government then goes on to seal the island and hold several American citizens in custody. Raptor Team, a US Army Special Forces unit is sent to rescue the scientists. This was not a war but a rescue mission. However, things turn nasty when they discover that they are not just fighting the Koreans, but extra terrestrial life as well.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive (PC) Review

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Tuesday, November 23, 2004, 5:23:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 2, 2009.

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive belongs to the subgenre of tactical strategy. Such games have enjoyed success in Europe, but not so much in North America.

Although this game is called a Commandos clone; I do not think so, just as Crysis is not a clone of Far Cry. It has taken the elements of Commandos and perfected them. The setting helps show off these innovations.

Call of Duty 2 (PC) Review

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, March 19, 2009, 11:19:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on March 21, 2009.

A sequel to the 2003 game, Call of Duty 2 tells the story of three soldiers from different parts of the world – Russia, UK and US, fighting against the same enemy – Nazi Germany.

Call of Duty 2 takes the high standards higher. The campaign is more visceral and engaging. Although the core game play aspects remain the same, some minor changes go a long way in making the game more immersive.

Videos, Uwe Boll Madness and a Review

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

VIDEOS

I decided that I am going to upload my videos on YouTube from now on. The video player on GameSpot has a lot of problems. It would be easier for me to embed videos on Reviews Without Scores blog.

I recorded a few videos, and here they are:

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (PC) Review

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 2:14:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on March 14, 2009.

Prince of Persia Warrior Within is a sequel to Sands of Time. The story picks up seven years after the Sands of Time.

The Prince finds himself hunted by the Dahaka, the guardian of the timeline. Anyone who opens the sands of time should die, but the Prince escaped his fate, and the Dahaka who is a reincarnation of fate, tries to ensure that the Prince dies as he was meant to.

Far Cry (PC) Review

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, May 1, 2008, 9:31:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on July 26, 2008.

When almost the entire PC gaming industry is waiting for the release of Doom 3 and Half-Life 2, Far Cry comes out of nowhere to compete against these giants. This game put German developers CryTek on the map.

Far Cry is a first person shooter set on a tropical island. The player assumes the role of Jack Craver, who is hired to sail a woman named Valarie around the pacific. The situation goes completely wrong when the ship is attacked, and Valarie is kidnapped. It’s now your job to rescue her and get away from the island.

Moving Out Update

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I have lived in my city for 25 years so far, and it’s time to move out. I am going to a different place, to start a different life. The reason for my absence on GameSpot is because I have been extremely busy trying to sort things out. In less than 12 hours, my entire life will change.

Hopefully, the new life will be better and I shall enjoy it. I will write more about it soon. I am sorry for not visiting your blogs as often as I should have. You all must know that things have been tough, so I am hoping I will not be forgiven.

Gaming Nostalgia

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I have been playing PC games for 8 years now - not a long time compared to most people, but I’ve played my fair share of games, and I thought it would be a good idea to look back some of the best games I have played so far. Read the preview and guess the game I talking about. No cheating!

So here are my favorites, in alphabetical order:

This is the best World War II shooter I have played so far. I played it’s sequels as well, but so far, no other game has matched its quality, in my opinion.

Spoiler

Call of Duty

Back

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Hello all,

My absence from GameSpot took as long as I predicted it was going to be. It has been a tough month but I was fairly successful in my endeavors, so I am not complaining.

I am back here with some time on my hands, which is great, because I missed this place, and I missed gaming too. Of course, I did play Quake 3 with my friends on LAN, but it’s not like playing an engrossing single player game.

Tomb Raider III: Adentures of Lara Croft (PC) Review

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, September 7, 2000, 1:30:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on May 10, 2008.

The third installment in the highly successful franchise, Tomb Raider III tells the story of a meteorite crash that occurred millions of years ago in the Antarctic region. The Polynesians discovered the meteorite crash site and settled in that region until they were forced to leave due to terrible events that ensued from living in that area.

Tomb Raider II (PC) Review

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, November 28, 2002, 6:57:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on April 25, 2008.

Tomb Raider 2, released in 1997, is a sequel to the very successful Tomb Raider. It is arguably the most eagerly awaited game of the year.

The story concerns the Dagger of Xian, an ancient Chinese weapon used by the Emperor to command his army. By plunging the Dagger into its owner’s heart, the weapon has the power to turn the person into a dragon.

Diablo (PC) Review

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, January 3, 2008, 9:30:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on April 12, 2008.

Diablo is a simple RPG made by Blizzard, in 1996. The premise of the game is very simple, explore the depths of the church and kill all the monsters. Yet, the game manages to be very complex and satisfying, because the number of ways the levels can be finished are numerous.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (PC) Review

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 6:28:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on April 6, 2008.

Splinter Cell is a stealth based game in which the player assumes the role of Sam Fisher.

Sam Fisher is an operative of Third Echelon, which is a part of the NSA consisting of an elite team of strategists, hackers, and field operatives who gather intelligence from various sources to anticipate crisis and act swiftly.

Tomb Raider Chronicles (PC) Review

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, March 25, 2004, 1:25:00 PM and the first version of this review was published on Monday, March 31, 2008.

Chronicles is the fifth game in the Tomb Raider series. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, which ended on an interesting note, gave rise to a lot of speculation about the next game. Tomb Raider Chronicles promised a lot, but I am afraid that it did not deliver.

Rectify problems with Microsoft Zune Theme

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:34:00 -0500

There’s a rather glaring error in the installation of the Zune theme that causes such things as Windows Explorer’s Places Bar (i.e., the left side of the window with common tasks, when the Explorer Bar is closed), as well as Control Panel’s Places Bar and Category View (i.e., the left and right sides of the window), to have only white backgrounds, rather than correctly displaying the theme’s dark gray, light gray, and orange colors.

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (PC) Review

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:04:00 -0500

I finished this game on Saturday, May 1, 2004, 7:30:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on March 14, 2008.

Hitler has captured most of Europe, and has turned his attention towards Britain. As a last resort to foil the Nazi efforts, the Prime Minister authorized the deployment of a squad of elite soldiers, the Commandos.

Commandos is a unique strategy game, the first of its kind to gain recognition. Unlike most strategy games, the concept of gathering resources does not exist here, the resources given are very limited, and just enough to complete the mission, the focus is entirely on tactical gameplay.

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PC) Review

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Tuesday, May 29, 2001, 12:29:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on March 14, 2008.

Tomb Raider 3 was a bit of a disappointment for a lot of fans; it strayed away from the classic gameplay of the original. The series needed to be redeemed after the wayward sequel.

The Last Revelation goes back to the roots in a lot of ways. The series needed to be reinvented and this game does a very good job at it.

Grand Theft Auto Vice City (PC) Review

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600

This is the review of the original PC version of the game, first published on March 8, 2008 on GameSpot.

Vice City is the next episode to GTA III. It is not exactly a sequel, more like a prelude to GTA III.

You play as Tommy Vercetti, a thug working for a mafia boss. When a drug deal turns into a bloodbath, you go to Vice City to settle some scores and earn back the money. Your stay in Vice City becomes longer than planned and it will eventually become your new home.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (PC) Review

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Thursday, November 30, 2006, 10:11:00 AM. A slightly modified version of this review was first published on March 5, 2008 on GameSpot.

Jedi Outcast is a sequel to Dark Forces II. You re-assume the role of Kyle Katarn, the mercenary working for the New Republic.

Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors go on a mission to investigate an abandoned Imperial outpost on Kejim, but it turns out that the outpost is not abandoned, and they discover an operation involving lightsaber crystals. Two dark Jedi known as Desann and Tavion are behind the operation. The story then starts to unfold and will eventually lead to Kyle travelling to the Valley of the Jedi to regain his force powers to defeat the dark Jedi.

Conflict: Desert Storm (PC) Review

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Wednesday, August 9, 2006, 4:07:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on March 3, 2008.

The game is based on the 1991 Gulf war. Through most part of the game, you control 4 characters that have to infiltrate enemy camps, destroy missiles, warheads, and rescue POWs etc.

The game spans 15 missions…fairly decent gameplay time, any more than that, I would have quit playing. After the 10th mission, I had just about enough of this game, but I don’t usually leave games this easy unfinished.

No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.s Way (PC) Review

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 2:35:00 PM. This review was first published on February 17, 2008.

In the year 2000, gamers were treated to an amazing 60’s style movie like game called The Operative: No One Lives Forever. I had the good fortune of playing the demo when it first came out, and very soon, I went on to play the full version and enjoyed it immensely.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC) Review

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Saturday, September 13, 2003, 1:54:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on January 27, 2008.

Much has changed in gaming since the early 90’s, and old school gamers would have been delighted to know that a sequel to one of the most famous games during its time, Wolfenstein 3D, is going to be released in the new millennium. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a successor to Wolfenstein 3D that was released over a decade ago; Wolfenstein has come of age and is keeping up with the times.

Half-Life 2: Episode One (PC) Review

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Friday, December 21, 2007, 4:26:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 10, 2007.

Valve has decided to be generous to gamers by introducing episodic content in Half-Life 2 series. Instead of making everyone wait till the next big Half-Life game to find the outcome of the ending of Half-Life 2, they released Half-Life 2: Episode One.

Episode One begins exactly where Half-Life 2 left us. Without giving too much away, Episode One answers most of the questions posed in Half-Life 2, but the story telling is still very surreptitious, because there is still a lot left unanswered and we can only hope that future episodes will shed more light on the matter.

Terminator 3: War of the Machines (PC) Review

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Saturday, July 22, 2006, 5:41:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on January 06, 2008.

Anyone can review a Half Life game. Nothing special about that.

But it takes a special kind of a writer to write something about a game like Terminator 3: War of the Machines.
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Ok, so at this point, I spent 10 minutes thinking about what I should write and all I can think of is – nonsense! Rubbish! Garbage! What the…!

Half-Life 2 (PC) Review

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

I finished this game on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 6:37:00 PM. This review was published on GameSpot on January 5, 2008.

Can a game ever be perfect?

Every time we try and answer that question about a game honestly, we usually come up with some feature that we are not too pleased about, something that doesn’t quite fit in, something that isn’t as good as the rest. This is typically the case with most games. No matter how much we like it, personal opinions apart, there are always some flaws, some are glaring while some are very minor, but they exist.

Belated Happy New Year

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Happy New Year everyone, I hope 2008 will be great for all of you. I wish you success, good health and happiness.

I know it’s a little late and it’s been a while since I wrote, but I have been terribly busy. I couldn’t gather my thoughts clearly enough to write, I’d like to think I’ve been missed, although I have a suspicion that no one even noticed it.

I did manage to play a few games in the meanwhile. I finished a couple of games since my last post - Half Life 2: Episode One and Diablo.

Back In Business

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Hello all,

It took longer than I expected for me to be back here. Let me update you all on everything that has happened over the last few weeks.

Exams

The gist of the matter is of course my exams. I am happy to announce that I did fairly well, and I should pass with decent marks. I am quite relieved with the way the exam situation went, because it could have been a lot worse. The problem was, I had 5 exams in 5 days, from 9AM-12PM. Some of the subjects I had this semester were quite difficult, so I didn’t get to sleep well during the course of the exams. I might have slept for about 2-3 hours each day. My body cycle was disturbed because I had to sleep right after my exam and study through the night. I had slight fever for my last exam, but I wrote the exam better than I thought I would, so I am quite pleased with the outcome.

Tomb Raider Review

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:00:12 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, May 2, 2002, 12:08:00 PM. This review was published on GameSpot on November 4, 2007.

Modern day gamers are very jaded. They are desensitized and it takes a lot to surprise them, and for a good reason too; they have seen it all happen in the last few years. Gaming has changed completely from what it was in the early 90s.

Gamers are very demanding; it’s almost impossible for a game to be unanimously accepted as a great game. No matter what game we are talking about, there are gamers who seem to find it detestable; even the mighty Half Life 2 wasn’t spared by contemporary gamers. It got ratings all the way from 3-10 on GameSpot.

Crysis - First Look

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Hello all, I understand that I am not supposed to be here, but how many times will there be a first time Crysis demo release? And how many times does a high profile game live up to it’s huge expectations? :)

I throw my pebble in the pile so to speak. So here you go: Crysis - First Look.

Sunday, October 28, 2007 8:52 PM

Finished downloading the demo!

Sunday, October 28, 2007 9:02 PM

Just finished installing the special drivers for the game, and for those of you who don’t know, these can be found on the official website http://www.incrysis.com/

Quake 2 language fix

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 15:51:00 -0500

Certain versions of Quake 2 show the error

“This version of Quake II will not install on this language version of windows 95/NT” when installing in Windows XP.

This problem can be fixed by following these steps:

Control Panel > Date, Time, Language and Regional Options > Regional and Language Options
In the Standards and Formats section, select English (United Kingdom)
Change the location as United Kingdom
Now click on the Advanced tab

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (PC) Review

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Monday, February 26, 2007, 7:49:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on July 27, 2007.

I usually don’t review a game unless I have finished it completely. However, after having finished 65% of this game, I say without a lot of doubt that this is one of the most entertaining games I have played.

I have to draw comparisons with Tomb Raider sometimes because Prince of Persia set out to be a Tomb Raider initially, but now the trend has been reversed.

Level 20 - Metal Slime

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Well, the dreaded level 20 is finally here. Let’s see how long it takes to get a Level Up.

Updates

Not much is happening in my life (big surprise there). My final semester in college is yet to begin, so for now, I am a bit of a free man.

Games

As you all can see on my Xfire tag, I am still playing Deus Ex. I didn’t know the game would take this long to finish. I also didn’t know there was so much depth in the gameplay. I have never previously played any RPG games, and so I made some blunders with the skill points initially, but that didn’t cost me too much. Now I am more cautious and prudent with the skill points that I acquire.

Using Adrenaline Powerups in Unreal Tournament 2004

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:34:00 -0500

Once you have collected 100 points of adrenaline, you can perform one of six moves that last until your adrenaline wears down. These moves are performed by pressing a series of keys in order. The commands listed are used with the default control scheme.

Speed

This power up increases your movement speed, allowing you to run at twice the speed. Command: W, W, W, W

Regenerate

This power up replenishes your health every second by five points. If you manage to reach 199 health, it will begin adding to your armor count. If you manage to reach 150 armor, it will stop until you lose health/armor, or until your adrenaline runs out. Command: S, S, S, S

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Review

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, January 25, 2007, 9:49:00 AM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 27, 2007.

I didn’t know what to expect from Medal of Honor when I started playing it. I had no idea that the game was based on the solid Quake 3 engine. Having started the game, it strong resemblance to Return to Castle Wolfinstein was striking, which basically means solid visuals are guaranteed throughout the game.

Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (PC) Review

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Sunday, March 18, 2007, 11:04:00 PM. This review was first published on GameSpot on June 26, 2007.

Let us ask ourselves, why do we play games? Is it for entertainment? For kicks? To escape reality? To vent our anger and not end up jail?

If you want to vent your anger then you should play Soldier of Fortune 2, because it can work wonders that way. You get to show all your anger on the helpless enemies, who don’t stand a semblance of a chance against your Rambo like ability. You can dismember their body parts, send their heads flying across the room, and spill more blood than you would find in a lot of blood banks…combined.

CIA Operative: Solo Missions Review

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

First published on GameSpot

Well, apart from saying this is one hell of a pointless game, I cannot think of much to say. I borrowed this game from a friend of mine back in 2001, when I was still a novice in PC gaming, not that I am a real expert now, but I am lot better.

So anyway, I managed to finish the game in 3 hours or thereabouts. I had no idea that this was such a short game; only 6 missions. Now that’s probably a good thing, because the game has no good qualities. The graphics are bad, the sound is just a formality, and missions are as straightforward as they get.

Remove Ads in Yahoo Messenger

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 10:43:00 -0500

Yahoo! Messenger 7.5 and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice 8 is the install messaging client from Yahoo! which now able to exchange and send instant messages to Windows Live Messenger’s users. Like Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger has all the best features, with lots of advertisements and animated ads. If you don’t like the ads and wants no ads on Yahoo! Messenger window, there are few ways that allow you to remove the advertisements.

Red Faction (PC) Review

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 10:19:00 PM. This review was published on GameSpot on June 12, 2007.

Red Faction is a surprise package. I didn’t expect the game to be as entertaining and gripping. I am glad I played this game, even after such long time after its release.

The game starts out pretty slowly. You play as Parker, a miner on Mars, working for a company called Ultor. The miners are exploited, overworked and underpaid, living in miserable conditions, ill-treated by the guards and facing a lifelong service in extremely tough conditions.

Commanche 4 Review

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

This review was first published on GameSpot on June 10, 2007.

Novalogic have been veterans in the gaming industry. Their games usually tend to create games based on the exploits of the U.S Military, and not those routine FPS games with experiments gone wrong, aliens and mutants.

In an industry that is saturated with such titles, Novalogic have stayed away from the generic formula of gaming, and focused on creating contemporary military titles. Or so it would seem.

Tomb Raider Anniversary Demo Impressions

Sun, 27 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The demo was released on May 25th and it took me two days to get my hands on it. I’ll say its well worth the time and effort.

It’s no surprise that Lara received yet another minor make over, and she looks a lot better than she did in Tomb Raider Legend, in my opinion.

Speaking about the game, the 270MB demo features the Lost Valley level, any of you who have played the first game (released in 1996) would be familiar with this level. The scenery is recreated beautifully. The game uses a tweaked version of the engine that was used for Tomb Raider Legend. The shadow and lighting effects are extremely well done. There were a few problems with shadows in Legend, and but none of that here. The water effects such as reflections and the way Lara’s body is glistening as she steps out of the water are also well done.

The Clean Life

Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I figured that I really needed to clean my room and my computer. I don’t think I cleaned either of those for over a year now, so it’s about time I did that.

Over the months, so much stuff has accumulated in my room that I felt like I was living in a junk yard. I HAD to get rid of things that I don’t need or things which I don’t intend to use but I have kept them just for the sake of keeping them. I threw away a lot of cricket memorabilia, old CDs, cassettes, clothes etc.

Exams = OVER

Thu, 03 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The reason for the absence and lack of activity on my part was due to semester exams, which were over on May 1st. Now that’s a huge relief, let me tell you. However there are still lab exams to go, but I am not going to study for those. I have no more patience left after going through hell for two weeks.

I am happy to let you all know that I did pretty well. Should make it with a decent percentage…will let you know the results when I get them. That’ll take a while though.

Call of Duty Review

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500

I finished this game on Thursday, February 1, 2007, 4:56:00 PM. This review was published on GameSpot on April 03, 2007.

After having finished Medal of Honor only recently, I was left wanting for more engrossing World War 2 action. So I decided to play the highly acclaimed Call of Duty. I do not have anything different to say from what countless others have already said - that the game is fantastic. I cannot recollect a single incident throughout the game where I got bored. I have played the game on Pentium 4 3.0GHz machine with 1.75GB DDR 400MHz RAM and a GeForce 7600GS with 256MB RAM. The game worked like a charm at highest settings with 4X FSAA and 4X AF. The good part is, the game can be played on low end machines with onboard video and sound without too much of a problem. Of course, the game doesn’t look and sound as good without all the particle effects, but the frame rates aren’t going to be a problem.

A Much Needed Update

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

It has been a long time since wrote in my blog, mostly because life has been busy, and when it’s not, I have been lazy. I have tried not being, but somehow I always succumb to it, much to my dislike, but all we can do is try.

Anyway, where do I even begin? A lot has happened. Let me first being with gaming.

I started playing Hitman Blood Money a while, but I uninstalled the game because I cannot save during a mission and then quit the game. If I do, I would have to begin the game from the beginning again. I usually don’t have the time to play and finish one mission at a stretch, so I am going leave this game for later.

Its Good To Be Back

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

It has been a while since I was last here on GS. Let’s just say that I haven’t had the best start to the New Year, and to make matters a lot more inconvenient, I don’t have broadband anymore. I have contacted several other ISPs but it appears it’s going to take a while to get broadband.

As of now, I am accessing the internet using my friend’s mobile phone. The speed is pretty decent at 115Kbps; at least I can surf without having to wait forever for pages to load. But the catch is, I can access internet from 10PM-6AM only. I could log in during the day time, but it’s really expensive at .60/- a minute. But I am glad I at least to get to check my email, and log onto my communities every day. I felt like I was cut off from the world when there was no internet.

Life Without Internet

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 00:00:06 -0600

My recent absence from GameSpot (in case anyone has noticed) and internet in general is because my internet account has expired and I didn’t bother to renew it right away because the service has been pathetic…so I am looking to switch ISP, but that’s not going all that well either. Right now I am on a slow temporary internet connection.

Well, at first, I couldn’t imagine life without internet…checking email first thing I wake up has been a ritual for many months now. So I was very apprehensive about how things will be without internet. I was almost tempted to renew my connection with my ISP just so that I could stay online.

Tomb Raider Anniversary Announcement

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Eidos Interactive, one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, confirms today that they are developing a special '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider.

The new game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics, who recently launched Lara Croft Tomb Raider Legend on Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, PC and PSP, with versions on Nintendo DS, GBA and GameCube later in 2006.

“Our ‘10th Anniversary Edition’ of Tomb Raider, is a one-off title to celebrate both Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, it will appeal not only to the loyal fans of the Tomb Raider series but will also attract a totally new audience.” said Larry Sparks, Head of Brands Management at Eidos.

Now Playing - Star Wars Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I have been playing this game for a while now. Finished about 10 levels I think. This is one of those rare games where transition from FPS to TPS has been made so seemlessly. I have absolutely no idea why this isn’t as popular as Half Life and Quake.

I have played Half Life only recently, and while I am not saying that Half Life isn’t as good as it’s made out to be (it’s as good and better), I cannot imagine why Jedi Knight didn’t go on to win awards, and why only a little over 10,000 people on GameSpot own the game.

Caesar 4 Demo

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500

As I am writing this, I am copying Caesar 4 demo from my pen drive to my hard drive. It’s a pretty hefty 446MB download. I told my friend to download this for me last week, and I got it from him tonight.

I have just about had enough with Caesar 3…after playing until Pro Consul mission; I couldn’t go on any longer. It was too difficult and frustrating. I am hoping that Caesar 4 would retain all the good aspects of the game, and get rid of all that annoyed me immensely in the previous title.

Now Playing - Half-Life

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500

6:09 PM 8/27/2006

Well, I had see what the fuss was all about, so I finally started playing Half Life. I had this game for over 5 years now, and I played a little bit back then and gave up….I can’t remember why. Anyway, I started this game a while ago, and I managed to finish quite a bit till now.

I can imagine why this game became so popular back in 1999. The graphics were really good for its time, after all it’s the Quake 2 engine we are talking about! The game play is not repetitive, and the level design is great.

Funny Quotes From Bash.org

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 04:04:00 -0500

#244321 +(15576) - [X]

Cthon98: hey, if you type in your pw, it will show as stars
Cthon98: ********* see!
AzureDiamond: hunter2
AzureDiamond: doesnt look like stars to me
Cthon98: AzureDiamond: *******
Cthon98: thats what I see
AzureDiamond: oh, really?
Cthon98: Absolutely
AzureDiamond: you can go hunter2 my hunter2-ing hunter2
AzureDiamond: haha, does that look funny to you?
Cthon98: lol, yes. See, when YOU type hunter2, it shows to us as *******
AzureDiamond: thats neat, I didnt know IRC did that
Cthon98: yep, no matter how many times you type hunter2, it will show to us as *******
AzureDiamond: awesome!
AzureDiamond: wait, how do you know my pw?
Cthon98: er, I just copy pasted YOUR ******'s and it appears to YOU as hunter2 cause its your pw
AzureDiamond:oh,ok.

#104052 +(14264) - [X]

Away For a Few Days

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Life has become busy rather unexpectedly, and I am going to be away from GameSpot for a while. A lot of things have to be done, and I need some time away.

I will be back very soon though.

First published on GameSpot

Now Playing - Caesar 3

Sat, 27 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

3:01 PM 5/27/2006

Started playing Caesar 3 a couple days ago. Theory exams are over and one more lab exam to go, so I found some time, and I am looking to finish the game.

Currently in Valentia level, my ranking is Praetor. I have finished the War mission and try to finish the peace mission for the 4th time.

I have employed a different strategy to complete this mission this time around. Earlier, I used to make one single connected unit and build housing. Now, I am making several individual blocks and making them self sufficient with food, pottery and furniture.

Level 9 - Ikari Warrior

Sat, 13 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Hmmm…made it…Ikari Warrior it says…wonder what that means…

First published on GameSpot

E3 Coverage on GameSpot

Thu, 11 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Yep. It’s been consoles all over the place this year, so this is some consolation for PC gamers.

http://www.actiontrip.com/features/e32006babes.phtml

GameSpot is too busy covering console games on E3 and I have been waiting for ActionTrip to publish these. Enjoy :)

First published on GameSpot

I Cannot Be

Sun, 07 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

active until after May 20th. Because that’s when my exams end. I have joined a few unions till now, but contributed nothing.

However, it’s just a matter of two weeks. Hope I do well in my exams!

First published on GameSpot

Chili Peppers Angry At Album Leak

Sat, 06 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

US rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers have hit out at a music “pirate” who leaked their new album, Stadium Arcadium, onto the internet.

Bass player Michael “Flea” Balzary said the group would be heartbroken if fans downloaded it illegally before its official release.

Stadium Arcadium, the band’s first studio album in four years, is due to go on sale next week.

A spokeswoman for the band said she did not know who leaked the album.

All of a Sudden

Fri, 05 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

my level drops from 8 to 00…

I wonder if it’s something I did…ah well…

First published on GameSpot

Ghost Recon Demo

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0500

has really insane system requirements.

Minimal configurations to play the demo are:

Pentium IV 2Ghz
Windows XP/2000
NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6/7 or ATI® Radeon® 9600-9800/X
1024 MB RAM and 5 GB of hard drive space

5GB for a demo?? Damn…the consoles are ruining the PC. Clearly this game is designed for the consoles in mind, and the code is not optimized for PC.

First published on GameSpot

What Can I Say?

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0500

I am not uspposed to be here until after May 20th…supposed to be studying, but life never goes on as we want it to, right? So yeah, in spite of having an exam tomorrow, I am here updating my blog. Compulsive? I don’t know. Bored out of my skin? Certainly.

Well, when I am here, I may as well be cheerful. There is no point in whining too much. We all have problems, so nothing new there.

Taking a Break

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Exams are starting from next week, and my preparation hasn’t been very satisfactory, so I am going to be away from the PC for a while. I will be back online once again after May 20th, the last day of my semester exams.

I just want to be done with studies before I do some serious gaming. You know what they say, work hard, play harder!

Goodbye until May 20th!

Tomb Raider Legend Demo Review

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Tested on:
Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz with 800MHz FSB
Intel 865GBF
XFX GeForce 6200 256MB RAM
1 GB DDR RAM @ 400MHz
80GB Seagate Barracuda hard drive
17” LG monitor
Creative SBS 5.1
Played with standard keyboard and mouse; as well as with Saitek rumble force game controller.

After waiting for almost 3 years since the release of Angel of Darkness, most gamers finally get to play the official demo of Tomb Raider Legend.

Connection Upgrade

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I upgraded my internet connection to 256Kbps, I get a decent download speed of up to 32KBps, but here is the problem, I get to access internet only from 10PM to 8AM.

However, I still prefer this plan because I am not at home most of the time in the morning anyway, and there is another computer upstairs that is connected to the internet so I can check my email in the evening if I have to.

Piracy

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

While, I don’t agree with software and movie piracy, I think differently for music.

I’ll tell you the reason why I do so. To the best of my knowledge, musicians make most of their money from concerts and endorsements. So if you are downloading the latest Green Day’s song from the internet, chances are that it will not effect them at all. Bear in mind that this don’t make downloading any less illegal.

How Long Will Windows XP Last?

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Speaking personally, developments over the last few months have been quite grim.

PC hardware is changing like never before. And with the release of Windows Vista, a complete change in computer lifestyle seems inevitable.

But that question that has been nagging me, how long can Windows XP last?

Vista is bringing with a vast number of changes, and I am not too sure I can keep up with this change. Rumor has it that the operating system is going to cost anywhere between $400-$500, convert that into Indian money, and it’s an insane price range of 17,710 - 22,137.50 Rupees. I could buy a new computer with that price!

Creative Speakers

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I finally got the speakers that I wanted for a long time now. Creative 5.1.

These speakers are amazing. The previous speakers I had, Intex 4.1 2600W PMPO, were decent, but to get the best out of gaming audio experience, they really were not good enough.

Setting up the speakers is a bit of a task, it took me a while to get everything done. And after configuring the audio driver, I played Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of broken dreams’. It was something else.

A much needed break

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

After what has been a hectic week, I am back to normal again…going out in the evening with friends, listening to music, playing games, you know the rest - the good life :)

There are still some aspects about my college that are extremely infuriating, but for now, I don’t have to think about them. I am taking the next week off from college, and planning to get some studying done. I know that doesn’t make too much sense, but going to college is hardly any good as far as studying is concerned; going there is just a formality - nothing good can possibly come out of it. But it has to be done. However, there is a twisted solution for a twisted system.

Striking a Balance

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

3/11/2006 9:33:58 PM

As of now, I am trying to balance between studying, gaming, exercise, social life, and internet life. I really need to prioritize everything.

I have exams next week and as ever I have no inclination to study, I don’t know what’s gotten into me; I didn’t have this problem before. I hope I can work it out somehow.

I didn’t make too much use of today, I should have studied a lot more than I did, but then, I did get a start, and looking at things on the bright side, if I should carry on from here, I don’t have too much to worry about.

Now Playing - GTA 3

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I intend to write about the games that I am currently playing. I want to record my progress, and my thoughts through out the games that I play.

10:48 PM 3/10/2006

Currently playing GTA 3. I finished ‘Espresso-2-go’ missions today. Two more missions to go till the end of the game. I think I played this gamer for about 2 months, not too sure, but it’s certainly addictive.

This is one of those few games which have a very high replay value. Some of the missions are quite frustrating, at least that’s what I felt, but over all, this happens to be a great game.