All right, I'm getting tired of CDs.
A quick Inventory of the size of my music collection: 1.4Gb.
A quick inventory of how much data can be squeezed into a CD: 700Mb
700*2 -> 1.4Gb
I need a DVD Writer!!!
And an Ipod! (video, if possible)
And a new computer!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
I Think It's Illegal
Most likely, you've heard of a little computer application called Gametap. It's a windows application. There's a Mac version coming soon, but it's likely that it won't have the same games.
Defcon 5: Windows applications are compiled binaries and could do anything imaginable to your computer.
There's some support for some console games, which use different archetectures.
Defcon 4: In order for a computer to run programs that are compiled for another archetectures, it either needs to run an emulator or the program needs to be recompiled. Programs are usually made with procesor-specific instructions, so there is bound to be errors when porting. Let me remind you that the first virus was made accidently from bad programming.
Defcon 3: Emulators tend to be copyrighted and so do the games.
It even has some Dreamcast Games.
Defcon 2: The Dreamcast was recent enough for the patents to be in effect. There's a somewhat bigger lecal issue with patent infringment.
The website says that "it just rocks."
Defcon 1: They don't even want to tell you how their program works: not even on the page labled "How it works."
Defcon 5: Windows applications are compiled binaries and could do anything imaginable to your computer.
There's some support for some console games, which use different archetectures.
Defcon 4: In order for a computer to run programs that are compiled for another archetectures, it either needs to run an emulator or the program needs to be recompiled. Programs are usually made with procesor-specific instructions, so there is bound to be errors when porting. Let me remind you that the first virus was made accidently from bad programming.
Defcon 3: Emulators tend to be copyrighted and so do the games.
It even has some Dreamcast Games.
Defcon 2: The Dreamcast was recent enough for the patents to be in effect. There's a somewhat bigger lecal issue with patent infringment.
The website says that "it just rocks."
Defcon 1: They don't even want to tell you how their program works: not even on the page labled "How it works."
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Sonic Rush: Half Game, Half "X"*
The title will make more sense if you read the footnote at the end.
I was going to post this in the old tyme review, but then I realized that I never write enough reviews. I still haven't sat down to finish Xenosaga Episode II, let alone review it (like I promised a long, long time ago). I haven't even given out my opinion on the status on crackers and Amiga Video Games. That site is goin' down!
Let me say that when I bought this, I expected a little more then a typical sonic game. I thought that SEGA, with it's recent (OK, so it was like two years ago) sammy buyout, would at least stay clean with Sonic the Hedgehog. He's SEGA's flagship mascot, after all.
This game almost tore that down.
Let's break it down, Best features first.
GRAPHICS:
It's good. Ok, It's only OK. I was very surprised that Sonic and Blaze (The Cat) were actually polygon renditions. It made the motion more smooth, and removes the little doubt that keeps popping out form the back of my head that the little people are really flying while moving their feet.
Actually, they do that a lot. Sonic especially. Read about the gameplay for more info.
Form an artistic view (My lord! The International Reviewers Guild will have my head for that!), the landscapes are colorful and vibrant (except when they're not supposed to), but there isn't enough variation to make a difference. Then again, you won't be seeing them for long, so that really doesn't matter.
There is one weird thing though: when the people are talking and there is a memory taking place (you need to play to understand), the speaker's transparency will be surreal. Unlike most transparencies, which simply use a different layer and use a lower opacity, the image is drawn, erased, and drawn again, giving a psudo transperancy. There probably were no more layers left.
GAMEPLAY:
Woah, that was different. Anyone here play the genesis sonics? Excepting these thoughts:
Speed is good
don't stop so you can go faster
if you only tap the jump button, you'll only hop
Abandon everything.
Unlike any other sonic game (haven't played sonic advance, though, so this may be wrong), you need to do rather "Tony Hawk" style tricks. While up in the air (excluding spinjumping), press B, B, A/B to do tricks (I think that A gives more points). Press the R button on rails to grind more stylistically then before (and get more points).
At least there's a point to doing tricks besides a higher ranking. It refills your
tension gauge.
Which brings me to becoming hyper. It's like sugar!
This is some cool stew. If you hit the x button, you get to go even faster then normal (though ironically not to max speed). It only works if you're on the ground, which tends to be a bummer. It takes up tension, which you can monitor via the tension gauge, which is on the same screen as the character (I say this because I have lost track of it some times...). It holds up to
300%. If you go over, you will go to "infinity mode" where you can keep going turbo and it won't take off any tension. It's only useful if you intend to go turbo immediately after you go there, because it will take off 100% of your tension, and it tends to catch up with you. You can bypass the subtraction by not going turbo until "infinity mode" wears off.
let me tell you of level design. It's still pretty good, but not as good as it used to be. In the past, in addition to most of the stuff that's here now, they had a little clever trick behind their sleeves. For instance, they would make you keep running and then there would be some kind of life-threatening trap ahead of you, and you'd have to divert your movement. That's almost all gone, with the exception of a few places.
Also, there seems to be a few holes in the levels. I try to go as far as I can, but then I end up falling. Did I deserve this? This essentially destroys the hole philosophy behind the game.
SOUNDS:
The sound effects are standard fare.
The voice acting is worth cow pies. I knew that it was bad news when SEGA started to use 4Kids entertainment for a VO producer. Tails may be just a little better, but he's still WAY too happy. There's only a few places in the game where they actually seem serious (When they say "He's coming your way!"). Eggman even says "Get ready to be School'd!" The only reasonable response to this is "WTF!"
Turn off the sound when you play this game. The music is insult. Now it's almost rap. It's close.
It sounds a lot like Jet Set Radio.
The thing is, it's a whole lot worse.
In fact, the songs I liked best were the ones that sounded like they were ripped off from JSR.
The only plus here is that it's all sequenced, not ADPCM recordings.
The songs are very neutral. That, my friends, is very bad.
You know, the worst thing is that there are people talking, speaking, and even worse, singing in the background.
One of the songs says "too black," and I'm wondering if it's a racist statement.
On the other hand, it has a nice use of stereo separation!
By the way, "X" means Something you should never play in public.
I was going to post this in the old tyme review, but then I realized that I never write enough reviews. I still haven't sat down to finish Xenosaga Episode II, let alone review it (like I promised a long, long time ago). I haven't even given out my opinion on the status on crackers and Amiga Video Games. That site is goin' down!
Let me say that when I bought this, I expected a little more then a typical sonic game. I thought that SEGA, with it's recent (OK, so it was like two years ago) sammy buyout, would at least stay clean with Sonic the Hedgehog. He's SEGA's flagship mascot, after all.
This game almost tore that down.
Let's break it down, Best features first.
GRAPHICS:
It's good. Ok, It's only OK. I was very surprised that Sonic and Blaze (The Cat) were actually polygon renditions. It made the motion more smooth, and removes the little doubt that keeps popping out form the back of my head that the little people are really flying while moving their feet.
Actually, they do that a lot. Sonic especially. Read about the gameplay for more info.
Form an artistic view (My lord! The International Reviewers Guild will have my head for that!), the landscapes are colorful and vibrant (except when they're not supposed to), but there isn't enough variation to make a difference. Then again, you won't be seeing them for long, so that really doesn't matter.
There is one weird thing though: when the people are talking and there is a memory taking place (you need to play to understand), the speaker's transparency will be surreal. Unlike most transparencies, which simply use a different layer and use a lower opacity, the image is drawn, erased, and drawn again, giving a psudo transperancy. There probably were no more layers left.
GAMEPLAY:
Woah, that was different. Anyone here play the genesis sonics? Excepting these thoughts:
Speed is good
don't stop so you can go faster
if you only tap the jump button, you'll only hop
Abandon everything.
Unlike any other sonic game (haven't played sonic advance, though, so this may be wrong), you need to do rather "Tony Hawk" style tricks. While up in the air (excluding spinjumping), press B, B, A/B to do tricks (I think that A gives more points). Press the R button on rails to grind more stylistically then before (and get more points).
At least there's a point to doing tricks besides a higher ranking. It refills your
tension gauge.
Which brings me to becoming hyper. It's like sugar!
This is some cool stew. If you hit the x button, you get to go even faster then normal (though ironically not to max speed). It only works if you're on the ground, which tends to be a bummer. It takes up tension, which you can monitor via the tension gauge, which is on the same screen as the character (I say this because I have lost track of it some times...). It holds up to
300%. If you go over, you will go to "infinity mode" where you can keep going turbo and it won't take off any tension. It's only useful if you intend to go turbo immediately after you go there, because it will take off 100% of your tension, and it tends to catch up with you. You can bypass the subtraction by not going turbo until "infinity mode" wears off.
let me tell you of level design. It's still pretty good, but not as good as it used to be. In the past, in addition to most of the stuff that's here now, they had a little clever trick behind their sleeves. For instance, they would make you keep running and then there would be some kind of life-threatening trap ahead of you, and you'd have to divert your movement. That's almost all gone, with the exception of a few places.
Also, there seems to be a few holes in the levels. I try to go as far as I can, but then I end up falling. Did I deserve this? This essentially destroys the hole philosophy behind the game.
SOUNDS:
The sound effects are standard fare.
The voice acting is worth cow pies. I knew that it was bad news when SEGA started to use 4Kids entertainment for a VO producer. Tails may be just a little better, but he's still WAY too happy. There's only a few places in the game where they actually seem serious (When they say "He's coming your way!"). Eggman even says "Get ready to be School'd!" The only reasonable response to this is "WTF!"
Turn off the sound when you play this game. The music is insult. Now it's almost rap. It's close.
It sounds a lot like Jet Set Radio.
The thing is, it's a whole lot worse.
In fact, the songs I liked best were the ones that sounded like they were ripped off from JSR.
The only plus here is that it's all sequenced, not ADPCM recordings.
The songs are very neutral. That, my friends, is very bad.
You know, the worst thing is that there are people talking, speaking, and even worse, singing in the background.
One of the songs says "too black," and I'm wondering if it's a racist statement.
On the other hand, it has a nice use of stereo separation!
By the way, "X" means Something you should never play in public.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
"Has Christianity Become "Uncool?"
That exact phrase has been said by millions of Americans Billions of times
over.But there is still one big detail that all of them overlook:
Who is God?
This question is never asked anymore. Why? It was once taken as known.
Now it is questionable if it really is known. In fact, if you asked someone, you
might get an answer like this: "You know, ... He's like, ... this guy."
Of course, there are a few people who will think "What kind of question is
that?" and if you mention this article, will slap you silly.
over.But there is still one big detail that all of them overlook:
Who is God?
This question is never asked anymore. Why? It was once taken as known.
Now it is questionable if it really is known. In fact, if you asked someone, you
might get an answer like this: "You know, ... He's like, ... this guy."
Of course, there are a few people who will think "What kind of question is
that?" and if you mention this article, will slap you silly.
Friday, December 09, 2005
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