Navigation

Home
Syndicate

Archives
Categories

Archive for September, 2007

24 September, 2007 | No comments

Moola & duplicate poker join forces. (offer ends 9/30)

Get your moola invite.

http://www.moola.com/moopubs/b2b/exc/join.jsp?sid=4d544d744e7a45344e6a673d-2

Moola and duplicate poker have joined forces for one week only!! To help promote and offer us this great cash back deal! Earn $100-$1000 plus by signing up for duplicate poker through moola's booster zone.

Here's how it works. Moola is free to join. On Moola and you can play games for a chance to win up to 10.7million. ( im currently at $52) doubling up on the free penny they give you. They always have other ways of moving up the ladder called Boosters. Boosters are paid offers and Moola give you cash back for using or buying a service. This new poker booster you have to register through moola and play $30 worth of game, in return moola gives you $80 cash back. Not only that but for an added bonus, every to players you get to sign up through moola to play duplicate poker you get an additional $80. So for your intial investment of 30bucks, you get a $160 cash back.

Imagine if you had friends who loved to play poker... or people who would love taking advantage of this promotional offer. Lets say you invited 10 people that $400 alone minus your referal bonus. Dont miss out! Offer is for one week only ends septemeber 30!

For every memember that joins moola and does the offer and is able to invite atleast 2other people. I will give $20 to each. Invite your friends invite your family invite your co works to join! One week only. Itz a no brainer, Check it out for your self.

My screen name is Joidiamonds and you can find me on the forums.

Heres the link to join Moola-to get in on this amazing offer!

http://www.moola.com/moopubs/b2b/exc/join.jsp?sid=4d544d744e7a45344e6a673d-2

dont for get to hit me! $20 additional cash back from me.

24 September, 2007 | No comments

Tokyo Game Show 2007

Prelude
Impian saya sejak dulu akhirnya terwujud juga. Pertama kalinya saya bisa menyaksikan langsung TGS2007 di Makuhari Messe, Chiba.Walaupun puasa dan Jepang lagi panas banget, saya bela-belain berangkat dari Higashi Omiya jam 10.00. Sampai di stasiun Tokyo dan ganti kereta jurusan Keio Line, ternyata banyak anak-anak muda dan berbagai bangsa pula pada berkerumun di sepanjang platform. Saya pikir mereka pasti akan ke TGS juga, sama seperti saya. Sama antusiasnya dengan saya.
Ternyata lumayan jauh juga dari Tokyo ke Kaihimmakuhari, tempat stasiun terakhir sebelum jalan kaki ke Makuhari Hall.
Jam 11.30 sampai dan hampir semua penumpang kereta itu ternyata akan ke TGS 2007!.
Hati saya deg-degan, sebagai penikmat game, ini rasanya seperti jumpa fans antara penggemar Elvis dengan Sang Elvis itu sendiri. Di kepala saya sudah beredar : Final Fantasy ke sekian, PS3, Wii, dan sederet game-game baru lainnya dan juga saya tidak sabar melihat sejauh mana teknologi game yang sudah berkembang di Jepang saat ini.Wow!!
TGS merupakan ajang terbesar bagi para gamer, developer game dan komunitas lain di Jepang khususnya, walaupun sebenarnya ini juga merupakan barometer game dunia. Hampir sebagian besar industri game baik hardware mapun software ada di Jepang. Ada Bandai, Square-Enix, Capcom, Konami, Sony dan nama-nama tenar lainnya.Tak heran banyak sekali pers dari luar jepang juga.
Anak-anak muda, laki-perempuan, yang tua juga ada, semua antusias sekali !.
Tak heran, di Jepang industri gamenya berkembang pesat. Apresiasi masyarakatnya ruarrrr biasa.
Makuhari Messe mungkin seperti Hall Kemayoran di Jakarta. Di sini memang kawasan internasional untuk penyelenggaraan berbagai expo, konferensi dan pagelaran serupa.
TGS sendiri mengambil lokasi di semua hall (1-2-3, 4-5-6 dan, 7-8-9), khusus tiga hall terakhir adalah untuk sekolah, akademi digital arts dan perwakilan dari developer game luar Jepang.
Yang lebih menenangkan adalah pada umumnya kita diperbolehkan memotret di sini. Kecuali pada booth-booth tertentu di mana game masih belum release, kita dilarang memotret.
Begitu masuk, saya disodorkan pemandangan yang menakjubkan. Ramai sekali.
Ada balon-balon vendor game, balon Chocobo-nya Square Enix, orang-orang berkostum ala Ninja Gaiden, Dante-nya Devil May Cry, wah..orang-orang Jepang memang Gila.
Berbeda dengan expo-expo di tanah air, yang namanya expo di sini bukanlah ajang jualan produk.
TGS adalah ajang pamer. Hence the name Game Show. Semua game yang dipamerkan di sini rata-rata belumdi– release resmi. Begitu pula teknologi baru pendukungnya, rata-rata baru dikembangkan atau prototype. Itu yang membuat saya senang. Saya senang melihat inovasi.
Oke. Saya akan berkeliling dulu. Yang membuat saya tertarik pertama adalah booth Konami : Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns of Patriot, Time Hollow dan Silent Hill : Zero.

Getting Wet

Ramai sekali di booth Konami. Sebagai veteran MG, saya tentu tertarik sekali dengan rencana peluncuran MGS4 tahun ini (sayangnya untuk PS3), kelihatannya sih lebih seru, dan kok banyak perang terbuka ? Bukannya konsep MGS adalah tactical espionage? Hehe. Graphic sih jauh lebih bagus, karena mesin PS3 juga mendukung hal tersebut. Sepertinya efeknya lebih banyak dan warnanya lebih vivid. Saya harus antri satu jam untuk bisa main selama kurang lebih 15 menit. No pain, no gain.
Sayangnya konferensinya dalam bahasa Nihon jadi nggak ngerti, ya, saya pindah saja. Padahal yang beri penjelasan adalah Hideo Kojima himself, the man behind Solid Snake character. Di boothnya Konami saya juga coba game PSP terbarunya : Silent Hill : Zero. Keren, karena ternyata kualitas graphic-nya PSP lebih bagus dari yang saya duga sebelumnya.
Booth Playstation-3 gede banget. Di sini dipamerkan hampir semua game yang akan rilis akhir tahun ini untuk PS3 (dalam Blue-ray disk). Ada Gran Turismo 5, FIFA 2008, Heavenly Sword dan lain-lain. Setiap game boleh dicoba. Tapi ya itu, antre dulu mas.
PS3 akan bersaing dengan XBOX 360 dalam hal jumlah game yang dirilis. Kalau dari kualitas gambar, saya pikir kok PS3 masih lebih baik. Ada realtime level of detail, realtime depth of field dan tekstur serta cahayanya lebih realistis. Jauh dibanding PS2. Itu kalau ditunjang dengan TV yang mendukung HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface).
Tiba di Booth yang paling bercahaya warna hijau, apalagi kalau bukan boothnya Microsoft XBOX360. Game yang paling dijagokan ada beberapa. Ada Halo-3, Winning Eleven 8, Ace Combat 6, Devil May Cry 4, The Last Remnant (MMORPG). Saya tertarik dengan Halo3, kebetulan di panggung lagi ada uji tanding network game via Xbox live!. Halo-3 adalah generasi kesekian dari DOOM. Salah satu FPS game yang keren.
Semua booth memberikan booklet yang mungkin berisi penjelasan mengenai game-game yang akan keluar dan lain-lain. Sayangnya tidak ada yang berbahasa Inggris. Man, you have to improve this issue next year. At least, Bi-langual. Come on, this is an internationally-acclaimed expo.
Ok. Yang menarik adalah Wii. Konsol barunya Nintendo ini rupanya diam-diam banyak diminati oleh orang Jepang. Buktinya, walaupun tidak ada booth Nintendo, tapi banyak sekali developer game yang rilis untuk konsol Wii.Gamenya pun beragam, dari mulai main golf, sampai perang-pun ada. Tidak heran orang yang habis main tenis di konsol Wii, berpeluh-peluh seperti habis main tenis beneran.
Tak kalah menariknya adalah SPG-SPGnya. Wah ternyata SPGnya fasih juga bermain game, tidak hanya pandai nyodorkan brosur saja lho. Hmm, kalau pakaiannya...mungkin kalau itu dipakai di Indonesia, sudah dikeroyok F*I kali ya. Dan mereka dengan ramah melayani setiap pengunjung yang minta ijin ingin memotret mereka. Aturannya itu, boleh motret SPG, tapi minta ijin dulu!.

24 September, 2007 | No comments

10 Reasons Why PC Gamers Are Better Than Console Gamers

10: The best platform

The PC is hands down the most powerful Gaming system ever!

9: The cutting edge

PC gamers have always enjoyed the newest trends in gaming technology first. Now with the advent of Direct X 10 console gamers are once again eating our dust.

8: We invented "HD"

PC gamers have always had and always will have the highest resolution graphics.

7: First in surround sound

PC Games were the first games to incorporate surround sound in the game code.

6: Online Gaming

Even with Xbox live, online gaming on a console will never come close to the experience you get on a PC. From user made mods, MMO's, dedicated 3rd party servers,and free online communities like Steam or Xfire.

5: Better Controls

We don't have to dumb down our interfaces to accommodate the limited button on a game pad. We don't have to slow down our first person shooters to accommodate a thumb stick. We don't use fucking auto aim! Lastly, I don't even understand how a real time strategy can be fun on a game pad.

4:Multi-tasking

Lets see you check your email, update your blog, get the weather, encode a video, all while earning Peggle grandmaster on a Playstation.

3:Our machines look better

Nice faceplate you Xbox fanboy. My rig has been custom designed from the ground up to have an original look. Laser cut from sheet metal filled with more lights than the skies over area 51, this liquid cooled machine is sure to impress.

2:We are elite

PC Gamers are hands down the best gamers. We have more talent, better skills, and better games than any console player can match.

1:We are damn sexy!

Often you will see a PC gamer tote a 24 inch monitor, full ATX tower sporting duel video cards and 6 hard drives, and on occasion a full surround sound system up and down stairs and across parking lots to get to there next LAN party. This will burn calories faster than Richard Simmons on crack.

24 September, 2007 | No comments

Discover The Hidden Treasure With “Hidden Expedition: Titanic For Pocket PC”

Explore the wreckage of the sunken Titanic and discover her hidden treasure.

The legendary RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912, still houses a wealth of artifacts and treasures on-board. In Hidden Expedition: Titanic, explore the wreckage of this once-majestic ship and collect antique artifacts for the Titanic Museum.

Hunt for hidden objects within the wreckage during 14 diving missions, ultimately leading to the final prize: The Crown Jewels. Based on Hidden Expedition: Titanic, the best-selling PC game, the handheld version features the same stunning graphics and captures the atmosphere of the original. Control your game using a choice of the intuitive five-way controller or the stylus to find a variety of artifacts hidden within the sunken ship.

Based on the #1 hit PC game by Big Fish Games
Explore the Titanic through 17 on-board locations
Discover historical artifacts and gems
Play with 5-way or stylus
Solve the Captain's puzzle to discover the ultimate artifacts!

Download

Discover A Wide Range Of Pocket PC Softwares Here

23 September, 2007 | No comments

Magic Stones: Lost Temples Island beta

Today managed to finish the last expansion of Magic Stones, Beta release. It should be fairly stable, but as always if you want to try it, make a backup of your druid data just in case something bad happen

It is a bit sad to announce the last expansion for this game, but 2 years have passed since the initial release date (version 1.0, 4th October 2005) and I feel I need to finish this experience. I’ll still be updating the game from time to time like I do with my other titles, but I won’t be releasing free quests anymore. I’ll try to release an editor or a PDF guide on how to create your own though!

Downloads:
http://www.didone.com/games/MagicStonesTrial.exe
http://www.didone.com/games/MagicStonesTrial.zip

What’s New in 1.2.5

- added the last free quest “Lost Temples Island”, introducing the fifth avatars for life and spirit magic schools: the Angel and the Rhino
- fixed a bug that was displaying wrong attack and defense values when right-clicking on neutral avatars if you had any perk active
- now the artifacts damage amount received per battle is determined by the general game difficulty level
- fixed a minor cosmetic bug that was displaying the skills bar too long, causing a small graphic garbage
- increased effectiveness of charm attack/spell: now the charmed avatars will always to damage to their own allies
- fixed a wrong message window that was appearing when browsing avatars during a battle in character screen
- fixed a bug that was causing avatars to skip their turn if their speed was higher than 9

21 September, 2007 | No comments

I’m right - Yahtzee says so.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2048-Zero-Punctuation-Manhunt

You'd think I'd watched this before my last post but I didn't. Good to see that someone can say the same thing only funnier. Cheers Yahtzee, you charismatic rogue.

21 September, 2007 | No comments

Rugby 08

A few days and a few hours with this game I learned quiet alot of the game rugby and it's inner workings. Also, the correct terminology as well. The game itself is quiet difficult to get a hold of in the states well though local channels. Thank frog for the internets ;-). Visually the game is quiet nice but not next gen as modern sports games look now at days. Yet fun for any rugby fan who themselves are into games. My only complaints is the game requires a game pad but for ps2 users( which I sold mine year ago) this game works best with a game pad. Lucky my brother let me borrow his. The lack of widescreen game resolutions and game to be played full time. Well I am sure there is a way. I just haven't found it. If not, I can see why the game devs truncated the time , who would play the full 80 mins of game. That would tire most people hands. Let alone gamers hands, but on the other hand those lonely gamer night have the muscle tolerance.

21 September, 2007 | No comments

Beware, Coward

Hello!

I'm not going to try and be humerous today - I'm just going to have a rant about something that annoys me intensely, so do feel free to stop reading at this point. Pretend today never happened in blogging terms. It really is going to be a "grumpy old man" post, so be warned.

Still there? Ok.

Today's rant is on violence in computer games. Or rather the public perception of violence in games. You see, I've been an ardent gamer since I was about 4 (as I've discussed on this blog before) and even now, as a 27 year old manager in the financial sector, I own a PS2, Xbox 360, relatively up to date PC and a GameCube. Had it not been for the arrival of my son I would probably have a Wii by now as well, and I do so enjoy playing these games. Games are, as I'm sure you're aware, subject to classification (either by the BBFC or through something called PEGI) and shouldn't be sold to minors.

I'm absolutely fine with this. I think it makes perfect sense. I don't want my kid watching stuff that will scare the crap out of him or introduce him to practices that he should have to work out on his own, and as a parent I want to have on the box somewhere what age a product is suitable for. That's logical and makes sense.

BUT.

I find it utterly inconcievable that the BBFC has the authority, no, the AUDACITY to look at a game like Manhunt 2 and feel that it can say "No, no-one should play this game. It's too violent."

What? Let's look at that scenario. Someone at the BBFC is saying that I, an adult who is legally entitled to drink, smoke, fuck, vote and be responsible for a child is NOT responsible enough to play this game. What exactly do they think is going to happen if I do? Is it realistic to say that all the other computer games I played were below some level of violence determined by science to stop me from going insane? Did they get a bunch of volunteers to play an increasingly violent series of games and then as soon as one went mad said:

"Ok, that's the level that will cause rioting and an irreperable breakdown of public order - yeah, the one with the exploding heads, realistic internal organ physics, slow motion felching and a man slowly jamming an ice tea spoon down his japs eye. That other one next to it, without the felching? That one's fine."

It's bollocks, plainly. No arm of government should have the authority to tell me what I can and cannot watch, hear or play.

What was I wanting to talk about again? Oh yes, media perception. I caught a few minutes of "The One Show" this evening (for which I apologise) and turned it off rapidly. The reason was not the usual one (that it's insipid drivel that has no business being put out in a prime 7pm slot by a national broadcaster) but that they were about to run an item on violence in computer games.

Without watching it, I can tell you what happened. Please feel free to correct me if you're one of the drooling idiots that laps this shit up and can sit through the parade of Z list "celebrety" idiots they vacuuously interview.

1. A teenager will be sent into various shops to try to buy 18 rated games. They will succeed. What will NOT be shown is the times when they failed. Having worked at GAME for more years than I would like to admit, I can tell you that the major chains are in general red hot on BBFC classification. It's an offence to sell a game to someone that's underaged and it's someting that I always shouted at my staff about when they were in training so they knew not to do it. I cannot recall how many 14 year olds wanting Grand Theft Auto that left my shop empty handed and calling me a cunt, but it was a large number. Of course, that doesn't generate allegedly shocking, thought provoking television, does it?

2. There will be a reference to at least one of the following:

a) The Jamie Bulger murder
b) The Columbine massacre

I suspect it will be "b" as the Bulger child's tragic death tends to get trotted out more for violence in film than anything else. Both of these events were terrible things, but neither were caused by some sort of media. They were caused by people who's moral compasses had gone badly askew.

3. There will be at least one politician talking about either:

a) How parents should take more responsibility for their children's viewing/playing
b) How parents should not have to take responsibility for their children's viewing/playing
c) How computer games are corrupting our nation's youth
d) How computers are evil and kids should be out in the fresh air and it's why there's all these obese children and when he's prime minister things are going to CHANGE around here oh yes.

Now I must confess, I've never seen further in any of these reports than this, as by now I'm usually a shouting, swearing tsunami of rage who is hurling things at the television and being told by my wife that I am not allowed to watch the news any more. I hate the way that my favorite pastime is presented by the press. The fact that I'm generally regarded as some sort of backward manchild for my hobby is one thing, the implication that at some point I will go on a bloody rampage is quite another. I'm tired of people blaming various forms of media for all of society's ills.

Ultimately, people don't grow up to be murderers or thugs or drug dealers or rapists because they saw it on TV or they played a computer game with it in. Usually it's because the wiring in their head has gone wrong, or they never learned that certain things were wrong. I'm terrified of my duties as a parent, but I'll absolutely guarantee you this: Until he's 18, that boy is my responsibility, and the only people to blame if he turns out wrong are me and his mother. You won't find me pointing at the latest Xbox 7 Billion game and saying.