Spore Finally Dated

A new teaser trailer has revealed the release date of the long awaited god game, Spore. Expect it in stores September 7 2008. It's too bad it couldn't come out during the spring or summer but at least now we have a solid release day.



Also, GameVideos.com has part 1 of a 2 part interview with the game creators behind this amazing game.

Four Free Games for Steam/Nvidia Users

nVIDIA and Valve are offering four free games to all Steam subscribers who also have nVIDIA hardware installed. This can be applied to any account but only once per computer (I know I tried) The free games include:

Portal: First Slice
First Slice is a shortened version of the original Portal, with only 11 of the 19 Test chambers. A perfect way to try Portal if you haven't yet.

Half-Life 2 Deathmatch
A fun if somewhat shallow multi-player game using all the weapons from Half-Life 2. Maps created by players help keep it fresh.

Peggle Extreme
The combined ten Half-Life 2 , Team Fortress 2 , and Portal themed puzzle are a hilariously stark contrasted to the normally candy coated Peggle series. This is a short but sweet spin off to Peggle Deluxe.

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
This brief game is a deleted section of Half Life 2, Originally released to showcase High Dynamic Range Lighting (a lighting technology that emulates the way human eyes see light). It's fun while it lasts.

Bonus Round
Sam and Max Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die! (Free for everyone)
Stop a evil statue of Ape Lincoln from becoming President of the United States in this ridiculously funny point and click affair

So there you go, at least a weekends worth of fun for nothing!

The Future of 3D Games and Movies

Xbox Originals: Worth a Double Dip?

Released alongside the 2007 Xbox Fall update, a new download service dubbed Xbox Originals made it's debut. Each title is available for 1200 MS points each or $15 Each one works exactly the same as the disk version. Nothing new has been added to any of the games. The only reason to buy any online this way is if you can't find them at the store. But are the game any good? Read on to find out.


Halo: Combat Evolved
The game that kept the Xbox 1 alive during a shaky launch. Arguably the best in the series, Halo is just as fun today as it was six years ago.

Pros
Perfect Control and Level Design (Yes, even the Library areas)
Great Story
Fantastic A.I.

Cons
Dated Graphics
No online mode so far
Some environment are reused to artificially lengthen game

Verdict
Chances are that you've already played this, but if not it's definitely worth a play though to see how it all started. Just don't expect anything the later installments have like duel wielding or online play.

Fable
Lionhead studios much hyped Action RPG initially disappointed fans, but sold well due to the game still being really good. The vast number of upgrades available in addition to the well done voice acting and easy to use combat system helped players forget about features that got cut. (Like online play)

Pros
Solid combat system and robust customization options
Faster load times on Xbox 360 versus Xbox 1
Funny Dialog

Cons
Linear feeling world
Somewhat predicable story
Framerate drops occasionally

Verdict
A fun action RPG that didn't redefine RPGs but still managed to be a highly polished and well made game. However, if you want the best version of Fable, it's worth it to look for Fable: The Lost Chapters for extra quests, additional locations and a longer ending.

Indigo Prophecy
This gritty, story driven action game allows players to control the actions of multiple people to tell a sort of interactive story. This is one of the only games to really make you care about what happens to the characters. The movie like picture in picture camera views, fantastic animation and superb voice acting make this feel like a movie. Action sections also help to keep the player entertained until the end.

Pros
Interesting Story with alternate outcomes and multiple controllable characters
Great Voice Acting
Unique controls

Cons
Some plot lines can get confusing
Graphics can look fuzzy in places
The camera and controls can hamper the experience sometimes

Verdict
This may be the only way you'll be able to play it, seeing as it was hard to find when it was new. Indigo Prophecy is worth it for a adventure fans or anyone looking for a intriguing and gritty, story with deep replayability.

Crash Bandicoot : The Wrath of Cortex
After Naughty Dog left behind the Crash Bandicoot Franchise, the first game to come from new developer Traveler's Tales was a safe rehash of previous games in the series. Feature the same crate breaking gameplay the seris is known for. A few problems hurt the the overall experience. Balancing issues where levels can be too easy one moment and too hard another being the biggest one. It's strange that Microsoft decided to release such a antiquated relic.

Pros
Classic Crash Bandicoot gameplay is still fun
Easy controls
Vehicle levels help add variety

Cons
Weak Story
One hit deaths and uneven difficulty hamper fun
Too short

Verdict
Almost exactly the same as previous Crash games, this will entertain fans of Platforming and Crash Bandicoot games while it lasts. It's not the worst game ever but, you're better off going with something more polished like Psychonauts.

Fusion Frenzy
In the Xbox 360 early days Fusion Frenzy was developed as a party game intended to help fill out the lineup. It turned out to be a mediocre collection of uninspired and mind numbingly boring minigames. If you want a quick easy game to play with a few friends, this is not a terrible choice, but this is certainly not anything groundbreaking.

Pros
Some minigames are kind of fun
Playing with friends can be fun for a little while
Easy to pick up and play

Cons
While running on the Xbox 360 the framerate stutters sometimes.
Most minigames are mindless and boring
Lame character selection

Verdict
Save your money for better games.

Psychonauts
From the same people who made Full Throttle and the Upcoming Brutal Legend, Psychonauts was highly reviewed, but sold poorly. Now that it has been re-released, anyone who missed out will finally be able to play this funny platformer.

Pros
Hilarious story and dialog
Solid controls
Fantastic level design and variety

Cons
Gameplay is nothing different from platforming norms
Some puzzles are unclear at first
Lots of item collection

Verdict
This is one of the funnest games I've ever played. The gameplay is pretty standard for platforming but, you'll keep playing just to see what happens next. Unfortunately, because it didn't sell very well, a sequel is unlikely. Which is too bad because it's just too original to pass up.


Most of these games can be found for less then the price offered here. However, some are quite hard to come by (Especially Indigo Prophecy). Just be sure to be completely sure you can't get it any other way before you take the plunge and buy a non refundable game.

Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer "Move up, ladies"

There's a new Trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV. Check it out!

Xbox Live goodies coming soon

Xbox Live is now five years old. From the beginning days to what it is now, Xbox live has changed online gaming forever. To celebrate this momentous event, today and tomorrow Xbox live arcade title Carcassonne is free.

Xbox Classics Come to Live
But this isn't the only reason to be excited about Xbox Live. Something that has been a rumor for years, Microsoft has finally announced that Xbox 1 titles will be available for download though Xbox Live for $15 each (1200 MS points). They all will be released alongside the Fall 2007 update(See Below). The titles included Halo: Combat Evolved, Psychonauts, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies, Fable, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, and Fusion Frenzy

While not all of these are fantastic titles, (I'm looking at you, Fusion Frenzy) this is an exciting announcement for anyone trying to track down some of these hard to find titles. Games that were under the radar, like Psyconauts and Crimson Skies, can now have a second chance for an audience. All of these games have been ported over using the same software for the disk versions. They don't have Achievements and games that didn't already have online play won't be any different here. The only reason to download a Xbox 1 game is if you don't already have it, or you want to archive it. Now if only they would add Metal Arms: A Glitch in the System and Beyond Good and Evil, two more games that where woefully overlooked.

Xbox Live Fall update 2007 date revealed
Microsoft has also announced the day of the Fall update: it's December 4th. If the leaked information is correct, then it will include IPTV, Xvid support, Animated themes, and tons more. See the full list here.

Xbox Live has for years been the pinnacle of online features on consoles. But with more and more online games coming out on other consoles without a fee, it will be interesting to see how long this service can stay successful. But so far it's been worth every penny.

How to make money with your blog using PayPerPost

PayPerPost is a company providing service for advertisers to get the word out about their product and to allow bloggers to make money posting. People can make thousands of dollar per week using this easy to use service. It’s also really easy to get started.

How it works
This is how it works: So let's say you want to advertise your new product. After you sign up under an advertiser, you can then create an opportunity, or opp. You can then specify a variety of different requirements that the blogger, A.K.A. postie, needs to fulfill before they can take your opp. This includes popularity, traffic and more. After that a blogger who has signed up as a postie, like me, can accept it an then write an article about it.

Afterward, they need to make sure not to forget to let everyone know you're getting paid for the post by placing a "Sponsored By" button at the bottom, naming the advertiser directly. Then the advertiser reviews your post. If they approve and it meets the agreed requirements, the money is transferred from the advertiser's account to the postie's account. That's basically how it works. There are a tons of available opps. All from companies who want to advertise their product or service in different blogs.

Another method for advertisers is the PayPerPost Direct option. This works pretty much the same way but, the main difference is advertisers visit a blog, click on the “Hire Me” button and contact the postie directly. From there, they can make an agreement about what they want from the transaction.

How I'm Using it
I signed up about three months ago so my blog has now reached the age requirement and was officially approved. PayPerPost has an opp available that gives you $20 if you talk about them. So I’ll make sure to put a sponsor button on the bottom of this page. : ) This is one of many opps available on many different subjects. It’s been very easy for me and anyone who has a blog should look into using PayPerPost.

If you would like to send me an offer to talk about your new game or website or whatever, let me know. Just click on the “Hire Me” button on the sidebar. I can only talk about things that I have either tried or know enough about, so make sure to give me some detailed info about your product. Thanks!

Picking the Right XBox 360

The XBox has been through almost as many version changes as Sony's PS3 has. Apparently, one box is just not enough. There are currently four different versions and any will do for just plain old gaming. But if you care about doing anything online or storing media, the cheapest box just isn't gonna do. Follow this guide to figure out what you should know about each set.

XBox 360 Core
The now canceled core model is, or was, a bare bones set with a wired controller, the console proper, Standard Definition audio/video cables (Although High Definition is still supported) and power cables. It's disabled because of the lack of any storage space. Meaning that you will also need to buy a memory card or a hard drive to save any games. Plus if you want to display anything in High Definition you'll need to buy Component cables as well . These are things that come with the the Pro model and above. Because of these shortcomings, this isn't a very good model. It's a good thing it's no longer for sale.

XBox 360 Arcade Model
The newest addition is the XBox 360 Arcade model. It's basically the Core model but, with a few upgrades. A wireless controller replaces the wired one included in the core set. The output has also been upgraded from the Core model to now support HDMI (But still only includes Composite Cables). Also, instead of no storage space at all, this comes with a paltry 256MB card preloaded with games. Absent from this set, although it would have been nice, is the Atari 2600 look-alike arcade stick.

This is a set designed for people who can't find a Wii and they just want a quick, easy, jump in and play game console for less money then the higher end models. Five Xbox Live Arcade games come included on the 256MB card. These are small bite-size games usually bought and downloaded from Xbox Live Arcade. (Hence the name of this model). Not very many of these games are noteworthy but, some are pretty fun. Unfortunately, what's included in the box does not necessarily feature the best titles. These are: Boom Boom Rocket (So-So), Feeding Frenzy (Boring), Luxor 2 (Not Bad), Pac-Man Championship Edition (Pretty Good), and UNO (Yawn). More can be downloaded off of XBox Live. However, you need a hard drive to access online features. (A good reason to buy a hard drive right away). These games take up most if the space on the card. This means that even before you open up your new XBox, the card is already almost full! You'll be able to save data for a few games but, it won't be long before you need more. At that point it's either buy another card or get a hard drive.Yet another disabled console, courtesy of Microsoft. The smallest hard drive is more then ten times larger (20GB) then the included memory card. You might as well skip a step and get a better model right off the bat. This is marketed as a entry level XBox for less. But the cheap price buzz wears off when you realize that you need to pay more to get what should have come with it. I highly recommend passing on this crippled money pit.

Xbox 360 A.K.A. the "Pro System"
OK, Now this is a better entry level option. The included 20GB hard drive is plenty for game saves and a few movies and Arcade games, making it a perfect way to get started playing games without having to worry about running out of space quickly. It's not ideal for anyone who wants to use their XBox for their media hub however.
This is the lowest end set to come with Component cables. A HDMI port is standard for Pro Consoles made after August 2007 but, none come with HDMI cables.

Be wary of the new Go Big bundle which includes two XBox 360 games, Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Theres nothing wrong with the games but, the added cost for Microsoft may result in them cutting corners with the quality of the hardware. For example: I bought an Xbox 1 Bundle a few years back with a Tetris Worlds and Star Wars: The Clone Wars game disc. The DVD drive was not a quality Samsung drive but a lesser quality Thomson drive. I got disc read errors after a 16 months. I didn't even know that there was a difference until I read about it online. True, Microsoft was losing more money on the XBox 1 then they are with the XBox 360 and it was only after a year and a half that my drive stopped working. It could have been time for a new one anyway. However, If you do buy a bundle be sure to keep the warranty information.

XBox 360 Elite
This is the best and most expensive set. Thanks to the large 120GB hard drive packed in, this choice is ideal for people who want to save everything and use their XBox for a media hub. This is currently the only one to come with an HDMI cable and a HDMI port in the same box. The black paint and chrome trim help to match in with your stereo equipment (If it's black that is). This is the one to have for the complete XBox 360 setup. Also, be aware of the potential problems of the Go Pro bundle for the reasons mentioned about the Go Big bundle.

Here's the breakdown of each XBox out there (Click to expand):

Crysis Demo: How does it run on low end PCs?

Crysis has been the poster boy for DirectX 10 since it was unveiled a few years back. When I heard that not only was it compatible with DirectX 9 but also available as a free demo, a fire burned within me to try and see if I could play it on my less then stellar rig. It runs Windows XP SP2, It's got a 3.20GHz Intel Pentium D, 1GB of RAM and a Geforce 7500 LE. Yes that's right, a card that's really only intended for basic 3D acceleration and can barely run Half Life 2.

After downloading the demo off of Fileplanet, I noticed that Nvidia recommends installation of the Nvidia 169 Beta driver before playing the Crysis demo. After this quick and painless detour, I proceeded booting up Crysis. I was convinced it would overload my puny card. Surprisingly, it ran nearly perfectly. I played it on the optimal settings automatically chosen by the software. That basically meant that every setting was on low, including anti aliasing. It looked better then I hoped it would but, it wasn't the best looking game ever on these settings. Not as bad as the low settings for the Unreal Tournament III demo though. That game looks like blurry land on my PC. I was glad that it looked decent because if you've ever had to adjust setting sliders in a PC game then you know that it's basically the gaming equivalent of adjusting a old rabbit ears antenna. You don't want to move it too much in the wrong direction or else you'll lose the whole thing.

It's a fun game I enjoy the different powers and the real time equipment modification(More on that in my Demo review). The frame rate was solid nearly the whole way, even in large areas it still stayed at a fairly solid frame rate. It did drop slightly during cut scenes. Nothing that adversely affected gameplay though.

With the draw distance at minimum, trees and grass popped up throughout. There was one situation where I could see though a rock to an enemy standing behind it. I only noticed it in that one area. There wasn't any of the larger enemies like what I've seen in trailers so everything might get thrown out the window at that point.

So far, if the demo is any indication, the final version of Crysis won't be the resource hog I had thought it was. Then again this is a pre-release build and it could run better and it could run slower. I can't wait to find out.

Picking the right PS3

Sony sure likes to confound consumers. With four different PS3 options to choose from it's hard to tell head from tails. At launch, there was a 20GB version and a 60GB version. Then, they cut the price. After that, thanks to low sales, they stoped making the 20GB SKU (A few still remain however). Last spring/summer the 80GB version was announced. Now next month a 40GB version hits stores.

For everyone who doesn't follow every step and is a little bit confused about which is the best one for you, here's a easy guide to finding your perfect setup:

You just wanna play games!
Any will do but, if you care about playing PS2 games on your PS3, don't buy the 40GB or the 80 GB. The former isn't compatible with any PS2 games at all and the latter is only compatible though software emulation. That's dicey at best. Also if you prefer to play online, and you have a wireless network, be sure to buy at least the 60GB. Any thing lower and you'll need a Ethernet cable.

You need the bleeding edge
If you fall into this category then chances are that you already have one. Along with your copy of Lair. But if you don't, the obvious choice would seem to be the 80GB version because of the bigger HDD. Don't do it! Because of the software emulation noted above the better choice would be to buy the 60GB version and then upgrade the hard drive to a bigger size. Then you'll be smokin'!

You want to use the PS3 as Media hub and don't care about games.
The 20GB is by far the cheapest and the money you save can be used to buy a new HDD to save all your music videos, pictures, ETC. Of course those are very rare. If you can't find one, the 40GB model is a perfect alternative. However, if you plan it link up to a wireless network to share media, then you'll need the next step up which goes for $500. For that much you might as well buy a 80GB for the same price.

Here is a video I saw on YouTube of how to upgrade your PS3 Hard Drive:



Here's all info you need to know in one spot. Full specs for the 3 newest SKUs can be found here

SKU	PS3 Low end	PS3 Mid-low	PS3 mid high	PS3 High end
Price	$379.99	$399.99	$499.99	$499.99
USB 2.0 Ports	4	2	4	4
Max Resolution	1080p	1080p	1080p	1080p
Flash Card slots	No	No	Yes	Yes
Backware Compatible?	Yes (Hardware)	No	Yes(Hardware)	Yes(Software)
Bulit in Wi-Fi	No	No	Yes	Yes
HDD Size	20 GB	40 GB	60 GB	80 GB
Current Availability	Limited to None	Launches November 2	Out Now/Common	Out Now/Common
Colors	Black	Black /W Chrome Trim	Black /W Chrome Trim	Black /W Chrome Trim

All models include: Blu-ray/DVD/CD drive, HDMI and Blue Tooth(For controllers).
Prices do not include Sales Tax and are USA only. Prices and availability will very from store to store.

Free Game Friday: KartRider

Each Friday a new free game is highlighted.

KartRider
What do you get when you mix Mario Kart, online roleplaying games (complete with stats, guilds and a friends list) and upgradeable karts and characters? This is KartRider in a nutshell, a new online racing game from Nexon, a South Korean game developer.

Right now it's in it's beta stage so not everything has been fully implemented. But so far things are looking up. The races fly by with very little to no lag and finding other racing couldn't be easier.

While the upgrades options are somewhat lacking right now, they show promise. Each can be bought with real money or money earned from races. From new kart models (each having there own stats) to new license plates, KartRider allows for a variety of different customization options. Nexon will periodically add more as time wears on.

If you like Mario Kart but wanted more beefy online and customization options KartRider is a must.

The Nintendo DS Halo game that could have been

Halo almost came out on the DS.

An AAA developer was making the DS version of Halo with everything you expect in a Halo game. Dual Wielding, Plasma Rifles, SMGs, Worthogs, and the motion radar on the bottom screen were all included. A version of Zanzibar was even ported over! Unfortunately it was canceled before it was completed.

Here footage from IGN:





The controls are like Metroid Prime Hunters. The touch screen controlled aiming and the D-pad controlled movement. I'm not sure how dual wielding worked. The left hand is easily within reach of the left bumper. But the right hand is busy with the touch screen making the right bumper next to impossible to press with a stylus in your hand. The only available digit would be the pinky and I'm not sure how comfortable that would be after awhile.

In the video that's exactly what their doing:

Closer examination of the screens show that grenades, the scope and maybe even weapon fire could have been triggered on the touch screen:

How awesome would it have been to play Halo on the DS? The potentially hand crippling controls are probably the reason it didn't make it out. Of course it was far from being complete at this point and any number of things could of been improved and polished.

I hope that Microsoft, Bungie and whoever helped port it over (My moneys on Rare) revisit this idea. Untill then, we can only dream of the Halo that could have been.

Keep all your RSS Feed in one place with Wizz RSS

I've had the problem where I can't get an RSS feed to display as a live bookmark

I don't want to have to go to a seperate website to view them. Wizz RSS fixes this problem pretty well.

A Firefox add-on, Wizz RSS searches for feeds and all you have to do click and drag it into the Wizz RSS tab. This is pretty handy.
Try it out! https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/424

Dedicated Fan paints the Master Chief

Today I was looking around on the Internet when on Youtube I saw this video of the Master Chief being painted with an airbrush. This isn't just some slapped together stick figure art either. The attention to detail is simply astounding. It's pretty big too, measuring at 36 inches x 44 inches.

The best part is that very soon it's going up for sale. Instantly images of setting this up on my mantle place come to mind. This is one of many paintings he's made including Darth Vader and Indiana Jones. I highly suggest checking out this up and coming artist.

Here's the video, I wish I could do this.



Go here to see more.

SpiralFrog provides Unlimited Free Music. Is it any good?

There are quite a few music distribution services. First there are the ones like iTunes, charging per track. Next are the steaming music websites. These suck because the music can only be played though your browser and the quality varies based on the speed of your bandwidth. Last are the unlimited download music services that charge a monthly fee.

SpiralFrog.com is a unlimited music distribution service that doesn't have a monthly fee. SpiralFrog makes money off of ads and referrals to Amazon.com, (If an album is not available for download)not for songs. You can download as much as you want for 30 days. The songs are encoded in DRM so they stop working after that (unless you renew). After the month ends, all you have to do to keep going is renew you membership. Just fill out a survey and then you got another month, it's pretty easy! Everything will be extended by 1 month.

Around 800,000 different songs are available in 21 different genres. Including, Rock, R& B, Hip-hop, Classical, and Electronica. A large selection of music videos are also present in those same genres and yes, they have DRM encoding too.

Signing up is easy just provide a E-mail, Password, Nickname, and Zip Code. (I haven't received any junk mail....yet.) From there just install the free software and you're all set. Songs will be downloaded into a directory you specify.

There are some annoying things. For example: Although you can set up a download list, you can't just set it and forget it. You have to click download for EACH SONG. This isn't so bad if your downloading a few songs but, it gets tedious when you trying to grab an entire album. Also if you prefer to take your songs on the go, each track can only be copied to er... two different MP3 devices. CD burning is out as the DRM prevents that, unfortunately.

All in all it's awesome for a free service. Every music fan owes it to themselves to check it out.

New Halo 3 VidDoc: Cinema Paradiso

Bungie Released a new VidDoc today talking about saved films and Forge mode. Forge mode alone looks like it will truly revolutionize Halo forever.

Downloads:
The large version is here the medium size is here and the small is here

They also have a Saved Films Faq Page

Exclusive Halo 3 Crossword Puzzle

To help ease the agony of waiting for Halo 3 to come next week, I made a crossword puzzle! Print it out and enjoy! (Answer page coming soon)

Click for larger version

Update: Here's the answer key:
Update: I Replaced the old ones with more Printer friendly versions

Halo 3 single player complete Tsavo Highway videos leaked

Someone apparently has access to Halo 3 and has posted videos from the single player campaign level Tsavo Highway. 12 days early! It's been split into four parts and I've posted them below:

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Gametap giving away PSPs for referring five friends

Gametap is giving away a free PSP to anyone who signs up for the 99 cents for the first month deal and then referrers five friends who then buy two months of Gametap gold subscription, the first for 99 cents and the second for $10.

This is pretty good if the stars can align and you can convince five friends to sign up. So really the only way this would work out is if you know 5 people who already want to subscribe. You can learn more here.

New Halo 3 Teaser Trailer: Museum

This is a clip from the full ad coming out on Friday