He finally came through!

Got my copy of Alien Vs. Predator for Jaguar today; only cost me $20 :) The guy couldn't find Nightshade though :( I also bought a copy of NHL 94 for SEGA CD on an impulse ;)

I've spent a little bit of time with AvP already, and it's shaping up to be a solid FPS. Keeping in mind that this game came out less than a year after DOOM and almost two years before Quake, its impressive to see such dynamic gameplay and high-resolution sprites on any system, let alone a gaming console that hadn't even been out for a year. I don't get the feeling that its going to be a great game once I really get into it, but it'll definitely be a pretty unique experience to tackle the FPS genre under the Alien coccoon system and the Predators' honour system... I'll explain more once I've spent some quality time with each race.

Okay, I think this should be it for a while...

I splurged and picked up The Adventures Of Batman & Robin and Light Crusader for Genesis. I also stumbled upon (and subsequently purchased) a copy of Eternal Darkness for GameCube. Then I traded-in my SNES (just the console, which had been filed-down to play imports and is missing a connector in the cartridge slot used by the Super FX chip and the like) towards an SNS-101. The funny thing is that I got more for the bare console in trade-in value than I paid for the system, all the cables, two controllers, and a game ;)

Anyway, I've got a lead on Alien Vs. Predator for Jaguar and Nightshade for PS2 this Saturday. Oh, and Wario Land: Shake It! is tempting, but I really should slow down a bit with all of this, eh? Maybe after the price drops a little on that one...

Let's see if I can remember everything...

I got stuck late at work on Wednesday recovering an employee's e-mail box from a nightly backup, and when there's a 1.2GB Exchange mailbox involved, the recovery process can consist of a lot of waiting... So I went to grab something to drink and ended up stopping by a local independent game shop. That's where I saw an NES-101 in their display case. I ended up buying it (I've never owned an NES before) along with a gray Zapper and a Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge. Since then, I've picked up Batman, Blaster Master, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Little Nemo: The Dream Master, Mighty Final Fight, and Metroid. I remember having a much harder time with Batman when I was younger, and I also remember Little Nemo having much prettier graphics... Otherwise, I'm loving the whole experience. The only real downside is the existance of faint vertical lines on the screen, thanks to the NES-101's shittay RF modulator :\

Anyway, I've also picked up copies of Vigilante for TurboGrafx 16 (traded-in my Master System version), Virtual On and Brain Dead 13 for Saturn ($10 each; the latter is sealed; I love Brain Dead 13), a second Wavebird, and Vectorman 2 for Genesis. Oh, and I went back and got a $5 trade-in value for an NHL 97 Genesis cartridge (I don't think I even paid that much for it), and an additional $15 off the NHL 98/World Series Baseball '98 combo I mentioned three posts back; I didn't feel too bad spending $30 on those two.

I also bought a copy of Batman for Game Boy while I was out. I remembered owning this one back when it first came out, and thought I'd sold it to a friend years ago. Turns out I didn't sell it, so I suddenly had two copies... It was only $7 though, so I gave it to one of my brothers :)

I finally got around to testing a third-party (BEI) Dreamcast lightgun that I purchased used back in May, and it doesn't work. It took me so long to actually test it because my Dreamcast has been hooked up to my HDTV via s-video, and light guns don't work with HDTVs. It was when I set up my new Dreamcast VGA box that I remembered to dust off that lightgun. I wonder if they'll still do an exhcange at this point... P.S. Dreamcast games are pretty at 480p... Especially Dead Or Alive 2 LE.

One last thing: I finished Metroid Prime! So amazing! Dunno what to play next though... Yakuza 2? NiGHTS: Journey Of Dreams? The Darkness? Or should I just jump right into Metroid Prime 2?

Getting there...

So I did pick up copies of Shadow Dancer (complete), The Revenge Of Shinobi (cart only, latest revision) and Shinobi III (cart only) for Genesis... As well as Alex Kidd In Shinobi World for Master System. I talked the place down a bit in price and worked out a decent trade-in value for some old games I never really wanted (Fear Effect 1 & 2 for PSX, Maximum Carnage and Primal Rage for Genesis).

I haven't spent too much time with any of them yet, but Shadow Dancer seems pretty solid, The Revenge Of Shinobi is every bit as awesome (and as difficult) as I remembered, Shinobi III seems a lot easier than its predecessors and I'm not thrilled by the new art direction, and Alex Kidd In Shinobi World is frigging cool :)

Also, even though I'm not a fan of the series (save for Rockman & Forte and The Power Battle), I really would like one of these. 

Frequencies

I was playing with an FM car radio that has "Info", "P-Type" and "Traf" functions. Info displays text messages (such as radio station and song information) that are broadcast with the audio signal on an LCD in the dashboard. P-Type allows users to browse radio stations based on their programming type (talk, rock, r&b, country, etc...), as indicated by data broadcast with the audio signal, effectively bypassing any unwanted genres. Traf allows users to select their preferred station that broadcasts traffic reports, and have the radio automatically tune to that station when a traffic report is broadcast; this only works on stations that broadcast a traffic flag with the audio signal. I dunno about any of you, but I think that's really cool :)

I also just read this. While it's not a great exploration of the subject, it's still a thought-provoking article on the kinds of social commentaries that video games are capable of effectively achieving. It also kinda makes me wanna go out and find a copy of Persona 3 FES, even though I really have no idea when I'd get a chance to play it :\

Anyone remember Polterguy?

Found copies of NHL 98 (complete in the box) and World Series Baseball '98 (with manual, but no box) for Genesis, but they wanted $50 for the pair... Yeah... Not gonna rush to come up with the cash for those.

I did, however, come away with copies of Baku Baku for Saturn, Raiden for Jaguar (no box), Haunting for Genesis (no manual), and Shinobi II and Ristar for Game Gear.

I'm thinking of picking up Shadow Dancer, The Revenge of Shinobi, and Shinobi III for Genesis tomorrow, which would leave me with just Shadow Dancer (SMS), The Cyber Shinobi (SMS), Shinobi Legions (Saturn), and Nightshade (PS2) to complete the series... I know where to pick up a copy of Alex Kidd in Shinobi world as well, but it's going for $30 for just the cartridgde :\

Shiny!

The new iPod Touch is just plan sexy... And I do not use that word lightly when it comes to technology because, really, regarding such things as being sexy is just plain weird ;)

Also, I've been using Google Chrome at work since it came out, and I love it. It's exactly what I want in a browser; basic, lightweight, and fast. I never use plug-ins or any other such add-ons in Firefox or Internet Explorer, and I appreciate effective use of on-screen real estate, so Chrome is right up my alley. The only issue I've run into so far was with FTP access, but that may have been the particular site's fault. I'm also aware of the public outcry regarding Chrome's EULA, but read sections 1, 8, and 11 carefully and you'll see that it 's not as bad as you might've heard.

I've recently worked on a friend's virus-laden Hyper-Threading Pentium 4 machine (they were just gonna buy a new one), a brand new iMac (they're very pretty, and so is Leopard), and a Windows computer with an obscene amount of hard drive partitions... I mean, really, what's wrong with two partitions (one for software and one for data) and a bunch of folders?

Work has seen me digging old machines from before my time there out of the warehouse, and repurposing them as workstations around the building; we had a good number of mid-range Pentium 4 boxes just collecting dust in there.

And what would an update be without mentioning me unhealthy obsession with video games? I snagged a copy of Landstalker for Genesis (good condition, in the box, but no book) for $10, a pirated copy of The Super Shinobi for Mega Drive (Rambo! Godzilla! The Hulk! Spider-Man! Batman!) for $5, Forza Motorsport 2 for 360 for $10, Spore, and Yakuza 2!!! Once I've got Metroid Prime out of the way (just a few more boss fights and artifacts to go), Yakuza 2 is a top priority :)

Epic

I neglected to mention in my last post that the 3D0 I bought was without a controller. I'd seen them online and at various shops, so I figured it was no big deal. The ensuing adventure was of epic proportions: The shipping on eBay was kinda outrageous, the people at the flea market stalls were adamant that these controllers were extremely rare and wanted no less than $25 for used Panasonic-branded controllers, and the specialty shops would only order new ones for $30 + tax... Yeah, not quite worth it to play Shockwave. 

In the end I scoured a ~50km radius around the city of Toronto over a few days. Four stalls at two flea markets, five independent shops downtown, two in Mississauga, one in North York, one in Oshawa, and one in Richmond Hill.

Not only did I finally find a third-party 3D0 controller for $10 at the last shop I checked out, I also picked up a lot of cool stuff along the way.  I bought a pack-in copy of Gex for 3D0 (just to have it on its original system), Wipeout 64 for N64, the Game Boy Color edition of Wario Land II (finally have all five Wario Land games!), and Congo and Last Bronx for Saturn. I was offered a copy of Return Fire for 3D0 for $35, and while it was one of the best games on the system, it's just so readily available everywhere else that I couldn't bring myself to spend that much. Anyway, I saw some completely weird things too, like two model 2 Sega Master Systems, an Odyssey, a Tiger R-Zone Headgear, Atari 7800 Joypads (CX78), a PC Engine CoreGrafx II, copies of Alien Vs. Predator and Power Drive Rally for Jaguar (not for sale, else I'd've bought them), a Famicom Disk System, and probably a bunch of other weird stuff that I'm forgetting about... It was a good nerdy weekend :)

Sins Of The Fathers

I saw this article in the paper on my way to work the other day, and I chuckled. Let's see if you can figure out why. Here's a hint: This game took place primarliy in New Orleans ;)

Unlocking the remaining secrets in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles has become awfully frustrating, and Echochrome (while still wonderfully interesting) has failed to really hold my attention, so I've moved on to Wipeout Pure and N+, which are both solid, fast-paced, and lots of fun.

Castle Crashers is also great. Totally lives up to my expectations of a highly stylised, old school arcade brawler. 

I don't think I mentioned this before, but I found a copy of Virtua Fighter 5 Online for around $20, so I picked that up too.

Metroid Prime is still amazing. I have only one complaint thus far: A save point on the way to pick up the power bomb would be swell... I know, it's not an impossible section, but it's more challenging and feels a lot longer than a lot of the previous sections, and having to replay it (for the third time, later this evening) just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the game so far. The experience isn't ruined for me, but what was a nearly perfect experience suddenly feels as though it has a balance issue. Yeah, so I'm wihining about a scuff on an otherwise flawless product... I'm a jerk :)

As for that Dark Sector write-up I talked about not too long ago, here goes: I liked Dark Sector a lot. The fact that I got it for $15 only made the whole thing that much sweeter, but I would've gladly paid up to $40 or so. There were some dissappointing aspects, such as occasional "skating" enemies (is there any excuse for poor walking animations these days?) and questionable hit detection (which just about ruined melee combat, made opening certain doors unreliable, and made breaking small item boxes on the floor needlessly cumbersome), but they didn't ruin the game. What came very close to ruining the game, however, was the poorly-told story. I remember reading early treatments of Dark Sector and being intrigued, and even though the final product was markedly different from those early descriptions, it was still brimming with potential. Unfortunately, all of the immersive plot points were either briefly glossed over or ignored altogether. Important characters appear out of nowhere with minimal backstory, chapter five is just plain perplexing (arbitraily releasing monsters, inexplicably unseen explosions), and the two main plot points hinge on the main character's history, of which we're only given a fragmented executive summary! By the time it's all over, with some note-taking and suspension of disbelief, there's a vaguely interesting narrative to be pieced together, but it's just not worth the effort... Play the game for the gameplay, the pretty graphics, and the score. Try not to think about the story, what it could've been, and how it would've taken this game to a whole new level; it'll just make you sad.

I was about to rant about why I'd never buy a 3D0 (noting how lot of big 3D0 titles, such as Alone In The Dark, Creature Shock, D, The Daedalus Encounter, Gex, The Horde, Killing Time, Need For Speed, Off-World Interceptor, PO'ed, Quarantine, Return Fire, Road Rash, Space Hulk, Star Control II, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Wing Commander, and Wolfenstein 3D were either already available on other platforms, or were ported to the likes of the Saturn and PlayStation and improved shortly after their 3D0 release), but then I bought a 3D0. A Goldtsar 3D0, to be exact. It's was an even $40 at a flea market and included Shockwave, so I couldn't say no...

P.S. You can play Psychonauts for free on GameTap. You don't even need to make an account. If you haven't tried Psychonauts yet, please do.

Knights 'n Geckos

I forgot to buy Castle Crashers yesterday. Sure, I got home late the night before, had sort of a long day at work, zoned out when I got home, and had to head out in the evening to catch a local show, but still... I forgot to buy Castle Crashers!!! What the hell!? I've been more excited about that game than just about any other current-generation release, and I just plain forgot about it!

Well, I'll take care of that when I get home this evening, but until then, I'd like to reminisce about Gex. Remember Gex? He's that smart-assed gecko (voiced by The Simpsons writer and voice actor Dana Gould) who seemed poised to be the 3D0's mascot... Kinda like how Rayman seemed poised to be the Jaguar's mascot. Anyway, during my recent tours of independent game stores and flea markets, I stumbled across copies of Gex for 3D0 and PlayStation (but sadly not Saturn, else I'd have probably picked it up) and remembered always wanting to play it but never having the right system. Rather than buy the PlayStation version (or a 3D0 and the 3D0 version) on an impulse, I opted to do some research... And found out that there was a Windows port! Thinking back now, I'm sure I've seen the Windows version on discount racks before, but I guess it didn't have the same impact of seeing the old console version boxes. So I managed to hunt down a copy of the Windows version (runs great on XP SP3; no so much on Vista), and while it's not as pretty as I recall, it seems like a really solid platformer so far!

Up next on my list of old games that I always wanted to play but never got around to tracking down: Pandemonium! I'm also still considering copies of Loaded and Space Hulk 2 that I saw for Saturn...

P.S.

I am friggin' excited about Fable II, especially after seeing this.

Dirt Malls 'n Stuff

Dark Sector review still forthcoming.

I decided to check out some of the flea markets in the area after having neglected to go anywhere near them for years, and came away with Iron Soldier, Rayman, Tempest 2000, and Zool 2 for Jaguar, Baku Baku for Game Gear, and an Atari Lynx II. Unfortunately, the "A" buttons on the Lynx II weren't working, so I brought it back and swapped it for an original Lynx... On which one of the "B" buttons was stuck :\ I also saw a SEGA Genesis 3 and a Vectrex, but neither was for sale. Oh, and a model 1 SEGA CD... Tempting, but entirely unnecessary.

Anyway. while I was riding the subway last week, this guy got on carrying a Game Gear and played it with the volume turned way up (without headphones). The guy beside him looked like he was gonna snap from the annoying sound... It was awesome :)

I bought Braid and Bionic Commando: Rearmed on XBOX Live Arcade. Both are wonderful.

Finished Call Of Duty 4. It's a really solid game, and the chapters "Shock And Awe", "All Ghillied Up", and "One Shot, One Kill" are simply amazing experiences that absolutely everyone should check out. I'm just about done Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles on PSP, with just a few more secrets to locate. That UMD alone is reason enough to buy a PSP. Not only is it a gorgeous remake of the last great Castlevania game, it also includes the previously-unavailable-outside-of-Japan original version as well as the equally-great-but-just-a-Metroid-clone follow-up, Symphony Of The Night! Speaking of Metroid, I'm steadily progressing through Metroid Prime and constantly in awe of how well the game was transposed to a first-person perspective; Konami should be taking notes for Castlevania ;) I also played through the first episode of American McGee's Grimm (it's free, so I haven't given GameTap any money yet). It's very, very simplistic, but it's a whole lot of fun; really charming and a great way to sit down and kill some time. I'm sold on the concept, so I'll likely be getting a year-long subscription... But not until I plough through a few more titles on my "to play" list.

Finally, after picking up DOOM for the Jaguar, I got sucked back in and dug out all of my copies. On the PC, that includes The Ultimate DOOM, DOOM II, Master Levels For DOOM II, and Final DOOM. I also fired up the 32X and Nintendo 64 versions. It's really amazing how good they all still are, especially on PC with new source modifications like ZDOOM.

Nostalgia

I stopped by the shop where I picked up the Jaguar to see if they'd brought in anything new (they had gotten Tempest 2000 in, but someone beat me to it), and I saw a sealed copy of World Series Baseball '96 for Genesis for $10! I loved the first World Series Baseball game when it first came out in 1994, and I didn't even know they'd made a third one for Genesis. I've never actually owned any of them, so it was an easy sell. Anyway, it was just a strange experience to unwrap the cellophane from a sealed Genesis game box... Since then, however, I've (re?)discovered that there was a 32X version (that I'd love to find a copy of) and a fourth Genesis version ('98). Rats... Here I thought I'd gotten the final iteration of one of the Genesis' better games... I knew '98 had come out on the Saturn, but had no idea there was a Genesis release as well.

Anyway, I also picked up DooM and Trevor McFur for Jaguar, as they agreed to drop the prices and gave me a decent trade-in value on some old stuff I had (Ghost Recon for XBOX, Mind Quiz for PSP, King Of Fighters EX for GBA, TrickStyle and Royal Rumble for Dreamcast), and added myself to their waiting list for Tempest 2000, Wolfenstien 3D (higher-resolution sprites than the original, but they're always facing you), and Alien Vs. Predator.

I've recently finished Dark Sector and plan on writing something a little more in-depth in the near future, I'm almost done Call Of Duty 4 (three scenes stand out as being absolutely phenomenal so far), and Metroid Prime is quickly shaping up to be one of my favourite games ever... Seriously, I wish I'd bought a GameCube when this came out, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to play it!

Digital Distribution

I'm not at all against digital distribution. XBOX Live Arcade (XBLA) and Steam are amazing. I do, however, prefer to own physical media and have the ability to play my games without being connected to the Internet. I'll still bite the bullet and submit to these licenses and downloads, but I'm cringing just a little when I do it. What really upsets me is when none of the choices I'm given are ideal. I understand that this is still a fledgling industry finding its way, but strange price differences and an overwhelming number of accounts to manage make me want to avoid the whole thing altogether.

I generally go with the PC platform over the consoles when I have the choice, but that rule has failed to make my life any easier. I made anew account and bought Penny Arcade's first game through their Greenhouse service instead of XBLA , only to see it released on Steam (where I already had an account) shortly thereafter; I really want to play Braid, but I have no idea when it'll be released on PC; Bionic Commando: Rearmed is more expensive on the PC and will not be available via Steam; American McGee's Grimm looks like the kind of game I'd love, but I can only play it with a GameTap subscription (which I assume means I can't go back and play the game once my subscription runs out). I kinda wish Steam was ubiquitous or that Microsoft had just gotten out of the gate first with a Game For Windows Live Arcade and done it properly from the beginning.

*sigh*

I'm not saying that I want platform exclusivity or a clearly superior platform; just some consistency across the board, especially on the PC side of things.

"64-bit"

New acquisitions: Sonic Advance 3 (GBA, can't remember if I ever finished the second one, so I'm starting the whole series over), The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (XBOX, surprisingly hard to find! I only ever came across two PS2 copies and this one for XBOX), an Atari Jaguar and Cybermorph (they also had Checkered Flag, but that was awful, and Trevor McFur and DooM were just too expensive), and a SEGA CDX (that actually had the CDX power adapter, and they threw in a European 6-button Mega Drive controller).

I'm hoping to pick up Sonic Blast for Game Gear and a second AES joystick for my Neo Geo (I'll be trading-in my Neo Geo CD stick) later today. Oh, and I almost picked up copies of Shinobi II and Tails Adventure for Game Gear, but they were a touch too pricey.

So Dark Sector has really sucked me in. It's not a great game, and there are some really glaring issues, but it's pretty decent as a whole package. I'm already on the second-last chapter, and intend to write more once I'm finished. I've also taken the time to sit down and get somewhere with Call Of Duty 4. I've probably said this before, but it's slick, and I like it. I also finished Crush. Wonderfully unique game with plenty of replay value, that everyone should try. I needed help with three or four of the 40 levels, but it's not as hair-pullingly frustrating as I heard it was. The ending is a little weak, but then it's not exactly a game one plays for the plot.

New Old Stuff

Picked up Dark Sector (360, only $15!), Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (GBC), and Sonic: Triple Trouble (GG, which means I now have every Game Gear Sonic game worth playing) on the way home from work today. I also considered a SEGA CDX for $150 and an apparently mint condition Turbo Express in its original box for $250, but thought better of both in the end.

Handkerchiefs!?

I completed Sonic And The Secret Rings last night. Underneath all of the convoluted menus, cheesy plot, and questionable voice acting, there's a really good Sonic game! Sonic just runs all the time; the player steers, slides, jumps, attacks, and brakes as he or she sees fit; it's a logical evolution of the classic Sonic gameplay into a 3D world. The problems are mostly cosmetic, but they sure do make things trying; like how the designers had the good sense to separate the party games from the main game, but they didn't seem to think it was important to separate races and challenges (finish with no rings, defeat 20 enemies, don't die) from the story missions (à la Sonic Adventure) and it makes things feel... Disjointed? Confusing? Overwhelming? Take your pick.

Next up are the skill rings. They're an interesting idea, but I found them awfully annoying as I played. Sonic starts out with some basic skills, and earns more as players progress though the game. Skills like speed-ups, better acceleration and manoeuverablility, ring bonuses, and fire-enhanced attacks are split into three sections (essentially speed, attack, and rings), and players are given four skill rings to which any combination of these skills can be attached. Each skill has a point value, and each ring can accommodate only a certain number of points (which increases as Sonic levels-up). I made a balanced ring, a speed ring, an attack ring, and a rings ring, but before too long I was using the speed ring almost exclusively. It all feels just a little overcomplicated for the subject matter. I mean, it's a game about running really fast, based around a character who's known for running really fast... And the fact that they don't seem to really explain a lot of these skill mechanics doesn't help matters. If they were really set on the skill development aspect of the game, that's okay, but was the micromanagement really necessary?

Finally, there's the finale. The real final battle is only available once all seven world rings have been collected, and, well, maybe I should've just left that last ring be... The second last battle is actually pretty cool, but the last battle just gets silly. Characters transform (Sonic gets racing stripes and a really horrible new voice), gameplay mechanics change with minimal explanation, and the final scene involves "a mountain of handkerchiefs". Yes, I'm quoting that from the game.

Despite all of this, there's still a lot of fun to be had with Sonic And The Secret Rings, and it can be picked up pretty cheap these days. Some of the levels are absolutely breathtaking, and the sense of speed can be exhilarating. I was hoping that this game was a big step in the right direction for the Sonic franchise (the portables have been carrying the torch since Sonic Adventure), but Sonic Unleashed's werehog sections and Sonic And The Black Knight's swordplay have me pretty worried...

Finally got that beast out the door...

Even at 1066MHz, 9-9-9-20-2T, RAM@1.7V and SPP@1.4V, the NVIDIA RAID controller seemed to be reporting (false?) SMART errors on the RAID drives. After hearing back from one of the RAM's manufacturer's tech guys with some suggestions, I was able to start narrowing down the possible issues. At 1333MHz and 9-9-9-20-2T at 1.7V, I was finally able to get one stick from the second kit to fail relatively consistently; it gave me two garbled "Unexpected Interrupt" lockups on its own and one black/green/purple screen of junk when paired with another stick, both in memtest86+. The retailer was nice enough to swap it for another kit though, and all seems to be working well at the advertised settings.

The annoying part is that the bad RAM caused errors with the NVIDIA RAID controller, and they affected the two 500GB drives, which then recorded those errors to their SMART logs. So even though the drives test fine and the problem has been remedied, they've exceeded the SMART thresholds and report as "failing" devices. Grrr.

The system's running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2, and it's pretty slick. I did have to get creative with the drivers for the Linksys WMP300N though; Linksys and D-Link don't seem to like XP x64, but the Linksys card is based on a Broadcom chipset that is supported in XP x64. A custom .inf over the Broadcom drivers, and all is well.

In other news, my nose is broken, so I haven't been playing much Virtual Boy. I did, however, finally finish Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters on PSP. Not a bad game on the whole, very pretty, lots to do, definitely challenging, but just not quite my thing.

Timing is everything.

Got my hands on four 2GB sticks of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, and that quad core system I mentioned last time turned out pretty sweet. Well, at least it did when I only had the first 4GB in there. Upon adding the second 4GB, things got sketchy. I've tried countless combinations of timings (9-9-9-20-1T and slower), voltages (RAM@1.9V and SPP@1.45V and lower), and bus speeds (1333MHz and 1066MHz) with 4x2GB, but lockups and errors are not consistent... Except that they occur regardless of configuration. I have been able to get all four sticks working together at 1066MHz, 9-9-9-20-2T, RAM@1.7V and SPP@1.4V... But this is supposed to be 1333MHz RAM :\

Back to work...

So the Bad Company demo was vaguley interesting. Good presentation and solid gameplay, but nothing really stood out for me. The destructible environments are cool, but it was nothing to write home about. Then again, I hear that multiplayer is where this one really shines, so I guess this one just isn't for me. Too Human felt... Well... I didn't mind the camera or the cinematics, but the game just didn't gel for me. I had too many questions about everything from the plot to the controls, little direction, and minimal satisfaction. Perhaps a quick training level and some more cohesive storytelling would've helped me, but it's just not coming together yet. I think there may be something interesting going on in Too Human (reminds me of Unreal Championship 2, actually), but it's not in the demo.

I got back into some freelance work recently. Salvaged some data from a G5 PowerMac, replaced the bad RAM that was causing hard drive issues, and reinstalled OS X 10.4; cleaned a particularly annoying spyware infection from a home office machine (DON'T OPEN RANDOM E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS!!!); picked up most of the parts for that system I mentioned in my last post:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
• EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1
• 512MB BFG GeForce 8800GT OC
• Linksys WMP300N
• Two 74GB Western Digital Raptors (WD740ADFD)
• Two 500GB Seagate Barracudas (ST3500320AS) in a RAID 1 array
• LG GH20NS10 SATA DVD-RW
• Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650W
• Antec P182 Mid-Tower

I've been trying to secure 8GB of DDR3 (either 1333MHz or 1600MHz), but there seems to be a shortage in this city. Speaking of shortages, I'm pretty sure I found the last 790i Ultra-based motherboard in the area... Anyway the idea is to be able to upgrade to a 1600MHz CPU, 2000MHz DDR3, and a three-way SLi setup down the road; client's idea, not mine. Accommodating that upgrade path didn't raise the price too much though, so it's not a complete waste of money.