An aspiring video game developer

Monthly archives for January, 2007

Best of Computer Gaming 2006

January 30, 2007 Leave a Comment Written by James Piper Goth

Welcome to the second part of my three part series celebrating the best of 2006. These are my favorite computer games of the last year sorted by genre. When a game wins game of the year it can not compete in any other genre categorize. I should have the best of movies posted very soon.

Best Computer Games of 2006: (Categorized)

Real Time Strategy: Company of Heroes – I have not played much of this game but what I have seen is pretty amazing. This game includes fully destructible environments and a fresh take on WW2. Personally this is not my favorite type of strategy game (I like more of a large scale strategy games like Rome Total War) but the innovations this game brings makes it the best real time strategy game of the year.

Turn Based Strategy: Civilization 4 – Way better then Civilization 3 and a new 3d interface makes this the best Civilization game to date.

Simulation: Microsoft Flight Simulator X – I have not had much experience with flight sims in the past but having the ability to fly any ware in the world got me interested. After much practice I can now land a jumbo jet so if I am ever on a plan full of snakes and the pilot is dead I am the man to call.

Role Playing Game: Neverwinter Nights 2 – Not the best RPG of the year but it is still great. It plays like the original except with one major difference you have a party in single player. This means it is easier to play a support class because you can have another character tank for you.

First Person Shooter: Battlefield 2142 – More of a mod then a full game, Battlefield 2142 is the latest in the long running Battlefield franchise. As much as it’s a very similar to the last game (Battlefield 2, winner of last years best shooter) I find my self playing it more and having a better time. I have just reached the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Game of the Year: Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion – This game is huge and at the same time rich in detail. It also has some of the nicest graphics from last year; you can lose your self just walking through a lush forest for hours. I will not write much more about this game because I have already talked about it in detail back in march (look in the archives). If you are like me and can’t get enough of Oblivion you should be happy to hear that Bethesda Software has announced a full on expansion featuring a new continent to explore called the Shivering Isles; you can learn more hear.

New Computer Hardware: Dual Core Processors – Running more then one application at a time is great. If you are going to buy a new CPU make sure it is a dual core. One of the coolest things is if a program is locked up you computer will still function because the other core will be unaffected. I still don’t see any benefit to gaming in the short run but as more and more games support dual cores this will become a huge benefit.

Liberty don’t give it up without a fight!

PS: If anyone cares today is the official launch of Windows Vista, I will post my thoughts and experiences after I have had some fun messing around with it.

PC Gaming

Best of TV 2006

January 26, 2007 Leave a Comment Written by James Piper Goth

This is part one of my three part series on the best of 2006. The tree parts are TV, Computer Games and Movies. I will be posting the next 2 parts over the next week or so. The methods for ranking in these lists are simple, I write down on a piece of paper all of the TV shows or Movies I watched in the last year and then I rank them from favorite to worst. These lists are simply my favorites not necessarily the best in terms of quality or Popularity. This is more a reflection of what I like then what was best. Well enough talking here is the list for best TV shows of 2006.

Best TV Shows of 2006: (Uncategorized)

10) Re Genesis – Not as good as the first year simply because some of the issues were pretty dumb like global warming and GOP Halibut but the Ending well made up for it. This Show barley made it on the list beating out the overly slow passes Lost.

9) 30 Rock – From the very funny Tina Fay, 30 Rock is a show about running a show. The characters are all over the top just were they needed to be to make this the best new comedy of the years.

8 ) Heroes – At first this show did nothing for me but it slowly became something great. This is one of my favorite new shows of the year. The only problem is that it moves a little slow, the same problem I have with lost, but as long as they keep it interesting this show will be on my list for years to come.

7) The Office – This show has evolved from stand alone episodes dealing with different themes and events of the work place to a complex plot with well developed characters. Ok so maybe I am taking it a little bit too far. Call of Duty Rules!!

6) Scrubs – Grey’s Anatomy is an hour long Scrubs without the jokes and House is a complete Rip off of Dr Cox. Scrubs is also probably one of the best depictions of hospital life and it’s funny as hell.

5) Veronica Mars – I have only started watching this show this year that is why it was not on last years list. The show centers on a high school/college student solving mysteries all Nancy Drew like. With a great supporting cast and some very well written dialogue this show is very entertaining, but what I like most is the main story arcs that take the entire season to solve.

4) Venture Bros – My favorite Comedy of last year and the only cartoon to make my list. The Second Season some how managed to out do the first which allowed it to go from 7th place to 4th.

3) Prison Break – This show did not even make my list last year and now its at number 3. What I love about this show is that it does not stick to any formula, it is in a constant state of flux and from week to week you have no idea where it will take you. Plus it kills of more main cast members the 24.

2) 24 – The 5th season was one of the best yet, not in terms of story but in terms of keeping you one the edge of your seat and constantly entertained. Where other seasons has slow points and strange plot fillers (amnesia and cougars) this season keeps coming at you with out letting up. From what I have seen of the 6th season so far its looking like there is very little from stopping this show from being at the top of the list next year. Except for maybe …

1) Battlestar Galactica – Wow this show is something else. If you are not watching this then you are missing out big time. Galactica is Science Fiction done right. From the amazing character to the crazy cool plot this show is better them most movies. This show does not shy away from controversy like abortions and suicide bombings; instead it embraces them to give a greater insight into human nature.

Liberty don’t give it up without a fight!

TV

Resolutions

January 14, 2007 Leave a Comment Written by James Piper Goth

Happy New Years and welcome to 2007. As promised I am doing a post outlining my plans and resolutions for the New Year. And I am currently working on my best and worst of 2006 list but that might be a little while still because there is still movies which I have not seen. I may end up splitting the list up in to different posts so that you can get the best of TV and gaming sooner.

Not much as happened with project refusal because of resent computer problems. I recently upgraded to a dual core processor. When upgrading to a dual core it is recommended to reinstall windows, this is something I did not want to do since vista will be coming out at the end of January and I did not want to reinstall twice that close together. Of course my computer started having problems like turning off when trying to go into windows and taking 10 minuets to log out. So I decided to try a repair install to see if I could stop these problems. The repair install made it half way through and then would not go any farther; meaning I now had no working operating system. So I had to take the hard drive out stick it in my server to back up the files I needed put it back in my computer, format it and reinstall windows fresh. I am happy to say that the problems that I was having are goon but so are my program installs. I have finally got visual studios .net back in my system and am ready to resume work on Project Refusal. Basically what this means is that I have not finished shadows and it may be a little while till I post something on PR.

Ok now to talk about this years resolutions. This years big plan is to move off of Bowen Island to somewhere more populated, meaning the closer to downtown Vancouver the better. This plan as several importuned stages the first is saving money. By saving money I hope to have enough for first months rent, living expenses, and damage deposit. The second part is to find a job. The requirements for this job is simple I dont want to work in a kitchen or in a retail store. The third step is to find a place to live. I would prefer to live alone but if the right roommate comes along then that would be fine. I dont need a lot of room for my self 200 sq ft with small kitchen and bathroom would be all I need. The projected execution of this plan is looking like the end of March. If you have any ideas or suggestions regarding said plan please email me.

Last years Resolution has also gone well, the resolution was to get in better shape. It started with wait training and eating better (less carbs) and evolved to mountain biking. This also ties into this years plan because I would like to live some where with some good biking trails like Stanley Park. I do have a bike rack for my car but I dont know how long I will have my car after I move, I hope to rely more on public transit to keep costs down.

Liberty don’t give it up without a fight!

Misc

Random Quote

One does not explain complexity by dreaming up a new complexity as its cause.

— Keith Lockitch, Ph.D. in physics, Ayn Rand Institute