Viva Pinata

Developer: Rare Ltd.
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date (US): November 9, 2006
System(s): Xbox 360 (Reviewed), Games for Windows, DS
Modes: Single Player
Rating: E

What can I say but WOW! How did I not pick this game up earlier? I probably thought it might be a disappointment for a "kiddy game," like Animal Crossing was to me (both the GameCube and DS). This game is basically Sim City meets fake animals and gardening. The achievements are pretty much all attainable unlike some games out there for the 360.

It is easy to spend hour after hour on this game. I finally got to the biggest space provided for a garden now. The game starts you off with a smaller plot, and as you become a better gardener, then your garden size increases (twice). Your shovel receives upgrades, such as the ability to dig ponds, although they do eventually dry up and shrink, so you have to keep digging later on.

You can either receive free seeds at random by Seedos, one of the characters, or you can purchase them in the store. There's a little village with several different services, such as building "homes" for the animals of your garden, capturing certain species of Pinata you want in your garden, to watering/gathering/watching your garden so you can do other things, such as breeding Pinatas.

There are different variants of Pinata. I found out on my own without using a FAQ online that the duck, or Quackberry, can become a "Juicy Goose" if he/she eats a gooseberry (go figure). The animals seem all one sex, that is, it doesn't matter which ones you use, you can still breed the little buggers. They're basically all inbred.

I really could go on forever, but I'll just say this. By far one of the best games, if not BEST, I've bought for $20 or less (new). If you have any specific questions, comment, and I'll email you back! 9.3/10 (I shit you not!! hours of entertainment!)

Paperboy - XBLA

Developer: Atari Games
Publisher: Atari Games, Elite Systems, Mindscape
Designers: John Salwitz, Dave Ralston, Russel Dawe
Release Date (US): 1984, 1990, 1999
System(s): Xbox 360 (Reviewed), Just about every other system
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating: E (This was before ESRB but it's probably E for Everyone)

This was one of the first games I saw to download on XBLA when I first got my 360. I was a little tempted at first to get it, but I waited. I had some MS Points to spare, so I figured why not?

Well, to say the least, it's kind of hard to tell if this is worth the purchase. I mean, 400 points is $5, but $5 is a lot cheaper than what the game sold for when it came out. If you got an extra 400 points around with nothing to use it on, then get this game. If you think about it, this game is cheaper than renting an HD movie from XBLM (usually 480 points), so I suppose it's a "deal" since it won't be deleted off your computer after a week or two (whatever it is).

On to the game. Well, this is pretty much a carbon copy of the NES version I remember from back in the day. I don't care what they say, East Street ain't easy. I just totally blow at this game. Too much crap comes out of nowhere, and cars almost ALWAYS hit you. The next life is at 15,000 points?? Getting a newspaper on the doormat is worth 100 points, and you start off with 10 houses to deliver to. Depending on how you do, more or less people will be subscribing.

You also get a bunch of newspaper bundles around that you can collect when you're low on the papers. I think you get 10 per bundle, but you are maxed out at 10 (which makes sense, no paperboy will have an infinite supply, right?).

Since everyone pretty much has played this game, I'll just hurry up and give a score. But those who have been thinking about getting this game but you're not sure if you should, then do what I said earlier. Get it if you have the extra points, don't go out of your way getting points for this game.

6.3/10 - The old games on NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. all prove that games back in the day were challenging, and still are. What's your highest score on Paperboy? I guarantee you it's less than 20,000 points... unless you play the game like crazy.

Beastie Boys - The Mix Up

Label: Capitol
Release Date: June 26, 2007
Genre: Alternative, Rap, Hip-Hop
Discs: 1

I first saw this album after it came out at a Starbuck's. It is purely instrumental with no words. Cicero found out that the Beastie Boys do in fact play the instruments that are featured in the album.

The tracks play one after the other fairly well; some of them are a bit more soothing than the others, but I find that this music is excellent to relax to, as well as do work at the office with it playing in the background. Some of my personal favorite tracks are, but in no special order: Freaky Hijiki, Electric Worm, and The Melee.

7.4/10 - I think they deserve more than the 60 that Metacritic scored based off of other critics' reviews. This album is original and completely different from what the Beastie Boys have produced in the past. Even though it deviates from the music most of us are used to, the bottom line is The Mix-Up is still quality music.

Top rock albums by decade

Albums 16-20 for the 1960s:

Preface: Now I know many will consider my picks, among other descriptions, cliché and akin to one another. Well, deal with it; these are simply my picks for the best rock albums of the 60s- a decade considered by many of the musically inclined, especially those with preferences towards classic rock, to be one of the most innovative and influential. Let’s work backwards:

20. Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground

It wouldn’t be just to apply a simple definition to The Velvet Underground. They are certainly avant-garde and psychedelic though many of their songs have a joyful, pop quality that can, however, be taken as somewhat satirical or sarcastic given the overall themes in their music- most notably the hardships of drug addiction. This debut album of 1967 follows that theme markedly with songs like “I’m Waiting For My Man” and “Heroin”. This is a defining, original album, one that reasonably represents the drug culture of the 60s and makes great use of musical experimentation.

Notable songs: Sunday Morning, I’m Waiting For the Man, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Heroin

19. Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company

The band that put Janis Joplin on the map peaked before her departure in 1968 with this in your face blues album. Cheap Thrills jumpstarts with the fast paced “Combination of the Two,” appropriately featured as the opening song on the movie version of Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Other songs are more relaxed yet scream blues as Janis wails her lungs and heart out. So much emotion comes out of her as she moans about heart break and loneliness. Cheap Thrills is a fantastic blues rock album that should be celebrated for both Janis and the great blues guitar work.

Notable songs: Combination of the Two, Summertime, Piece of My Heart

18. Music From Big Pink by The Band

The Band is famous for playing backup for Bob Dylan yet shines remarkably on their own with Music From Big Pink. Anyone who had seen Cingular commercials from a few years ago could easily identify The Band’s defining song- “The Weight.” Yet “The Weight” is just one of many great numbers on this 1968 debut album recorded out of an in the sticks, pink colored house. The Band grooves away with a country rock style featuring soft vocals and heavy guitar. Their pleasant melodies are appealing to any soft rock or classic rock fan.

Notable songs: The Weight, Chest Fever, I Shall Be Released

17. Disraeli Gears by Cream

Cream, like many bands of its era, was unfortunately very short-lived. Eric Clapton, one of the greatest guitar players of all time, fronted the three-member band. Disraeli Gears is the band’s best effort overall featuring perhaps their most popular hit “Sunshine of Your Love.” Cream seems to produce a defining, chilling sound with great riffs and eerie vocals. Had this band lasted longer I’m certain that many more albums like this would have propelled Cream to absolute greatness and celebrity.

Notable songs: Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love, Tales of Brave Ulysses

16. Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan

The music culture of the 1960s seemed to be defined by two key elements: The Beatles of England and Bob Dylan of heartland America. In 1965’s Bringing It All Back Home Dylan sets the tone with the opening “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, a fast paced rap-like tune that feels like classic Dylan yet is really quite original. Yet, the true highlight of the album is the last four songs-“Mr. Tambourine Man”, “Gates of Eden”, “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”, and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” The brilliant commentary of “It’s Alright Ma” and the deep emotion of “It’s All Over Now” make this album unforgettable.

Notable songs: Subterranean Homesick Blues, Mr. Tambourine Man, It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Label: Sony
Release Date: March 20, 2007
Genre: Rock/Indie
Discs: 1

This album is FANTASTIC. It is so refreshing. By far one of the most refreshing albums I've heard in quite some time (although The Clash's London Calling is pretty damn good). Modest Mouse pretty much starts up the album with extremely catchy tunes like Dashboard, Fire It Up and the upbeat Florida. Parting of the Sensory is also a highlight of the CD, starting slow and speeding up towards the end. Fly Trapped in a Jar sounds distinct with a jazzy muted trumpet imitating the sound of a buzzing fly's wings. Steam Engenius and Spitting Venom round out towards the end of the playlist. The entire album is pretty much money, with very few weak spots. If you are a fan of Modest Mouse, I think you will really love this album. I can't think of any other contemporary artist that is as original in sound as this group from Seattle (Issaquah). They also have the addition of former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr on this CD.

9.5/10 - In serious contention for my Album of the Year.

Modest Mouse - Dashboard Video

I must admit I really do like the Dashboard music video by Modest Mouse. I saw it months and months and months after it came out. I don't really watch MTV or VH1 anymore, since they don't even really show videos. I have to find those on Youtube. Well here's the Modest Mouse one, so enjoy!

And since this is a review site, I'll give Dashboard an 8.7/10 for originality and theme.

Beerfest - DVD

Beerfest
Release Date: December 5, 2006 (DVD), August 25, 2006 (Theatrical)
Rated: R
Duration: 110 minutes

If you did not enjoy any other movie by Broken Lizard, such as Super Troopers, Puddle Cruiser, or Club Dread, then you probably won't like this movie. I myself am a huge fan of Broken Lizard, so I was very satisfied in watching this movie.

If you don't like drinking, then you probably won't like this movie either. If you're down with a little bit of crude humor, then this flick is right up your alley.

The premise of the movie consists of two brothers who compete in a secret beer drinking competition in German during Oktoberfest. I don't really need to write more about it, so I'll just hurry up and give it a rating. I'll give it two ratings, since some people who don't watch it probably won't really like it. Metacritic calculated a REALLY low score for the show.

Does ANYONE have any clue what city in Colorado Beerfest takes place in? It seems to me that it would be Ft. Collins. Don't ask me why, but that's what I think.

8.5/10
6.7/10

Ninja Warrior & Attack of the Show on G4TV

Damn. Ninja Warrior is crazy. Each and everyone of those women would kick my ass, or at least kick my ass on an obstacle course. Similar to MXC, but it's much more serious. Definitely check it out, it's worth at least watching the show once.

As for Attack of the Show, the hosts actually had a couple of decent jokes. Before I've never really been impressed, but there were some instances in which it was pretty funny. They showed a web clip of the Russian Cat Lady (or maybe it was Moscow), the female host was about to say "that's a whole lot of pussy" but said cat instead... hmm not bad ad libbing. Hopefully they actually are ad libbing rather than making their jokes before the show. Oh yeah, Olivia, the female host, is pretty hot.

I kind of wish that Attack of the Show talked more about games, but then again there are plenty of other shows on G4 about games (obviously).

Jack Johnson Albums

Brushfire Fairytales (2001) - 7.1/10

Jack Johnson's first album debuted in 2001 with Brushfire Fairytales. The Hawaiian surfer turned musician learned how to play guitar from his father's best friend, Alex Cowell. It is a toss up between this album and In Between Dreams for my second favorite. Notable songs: Posters, Sexi Plexi, Flake, Mud Football, and F-Stop Blues.

On and On (2003) - 8.3/10

This was the first Jack Johnson album I ever heard. My sis gave me this album for Christmas that year. Probably one of the best CDs I've ever received as a present (thanks sis!). I would recommend this album for people discovering Jack. Notable songs: Traffic in the Sky, Taylor, Holes to Heaven, and Rodeo Clowns.

In Between Dreams (2005) - 7.1/10
A tie for second place on my list of Jack Johnson albums. Just like On and On, In Between Dreams features catchy acoustic rhythms with mellow lyrics. Notable songs: Better Together, Banana Pancakes, Good People, Staple it Together, Belle, Situations, and of course the single, Sitting, Waiting, Wishing





Curious George Soundtrack (2006) - 6.3/10
What could I have possibly expected from this soundtrack? I never saw the movie, but the songs are definitely for kids. I don't remember much of this album, just that I'm glad at least there's a song about the three "R's," reuse, recycle, and something... haha I can't remember. Notable songs: Talk of the Town and The 3 R's.

Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Keyboard 7000 UPDATE

So it took two weeks for my rechargeable mouse to die on this new bluetooth keyboard I bought. I wrote a review on it a little while ago, and it seems to be running fine. The rechargeable mouse runs on one AA battery, so I was surprised to see it lasted this long.

Shadowrun - Xbox 360/Vista

Developer: FASA Interactive
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date (US): May 29, 2007; June 1, 2007 (EU)
System(s): PC (Vista); Xbox 360 (reviewed)
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating: M

I will first admit that I have both the Vista and Xbox 360 versions of this game. I first owned the one on the Xbox, but bought the Vista version when Circuit City had an excellent sale; buy Halo 2 and Shadowrun for Vista for $40 TOTAL!! They each came with a month of XBL, so I figured that was another $16-20 value as well. That's why I have two gamertags - PekosRob and BetterThnSchwag.

For starters, if anyone remembers this game from back in the day, this is not the same game. I believe back in the day (I'm speaking of when it was on the SNES) this game was a third person game, not first person. There is no campaign, you just have capture the flag type matches (called the "artifact" in this version). However, you can play a match versus the AI in teams if you don't have Live. And you have all these different tech/gear and magic you can use once you buy.

Depending on how well you do in a match, you receive money to buy equipment/weapons/magic, many people have made a similarity with this and in Counter Strike. I haven't played CS, so I don't really know about buying stuff anyways, but it somewhat makes sense. It's usually good to buy a tech or magical ability since you lose your weapons if you are dead at the end of the round.

Match Types:
Raid - This is similar to capture the flag, except one side, RNA Corp, is defending while the other, Lineage, is trying to take the artifact to the check point. In Raid, RNA always defends, and the Lineage always tries to take it.

Extraction - Both sides attempt to take the artifact to win, or whichever team kills all of the other team. This is fairer than Raid; some levels really give RNA Corp a huge advantage, whether it's shooting down at the Lineage, or defending a difficult spot to get to stealthily.

Attrition - Both teams try to kill each other. Picking up the artifact is similar to using Enhanced Vision (one of the techs you can purchase in the game). The artifact allows you to see where everyone on the other team is located. You can press the up direction on the d-pad to let your teammates know where they are located. Game is over when either everyone is dead or eliminated. I'll explain the difference later.

Races or "Metahumans"

• Elves - my favorite; they're fast, but not very powerful or strong. They do regenerate health slowly when not attacked, which is great.
• Dwarves - steal essence from nearby players. They can get essence for magical powers by standing near their teammates or enemies. This essence stealing also allows for them to destroy minions and strangle very easily. Cannot be killed with a single shot to the head.
  
• Humans - good overall, they start out with $2,500, while other races start with $2,000.
• Trolls - huge, slow, powerful creatures. Their skin hardens when attacked, slowing them down but also slowing down the damage just a bit. They can carry the mini-gun with ease, as well as every other weapon.
  

Weapons

• Pistol - this is the default weapon. You always have it when you are resurrected or when you start the game after dying. It's free.
• Grenades - you start off with two, and you can only carry two at a time. You can only pick them up when you get them from other dead people (i.e. cannot purchase)
• SMG - submachine gun. Rapid fire with less accuracy the further you are away from the target. No achievements linked to it.
• Rifle - allows you to zoom in one level. Fairly accurate, but has a kick when shooting.
• Shotgun - powerful close range weapon.
• Katana - sword. When equipped, you are put in third person view.
• Mini-gun - powerful and heavy machine gun that spins (gattling) when fired. I think it has one level of zoom.
  
• Sniper rifle - self explanatory. Has two levels of zoom.
• Rocket launcher - self explanatory. Hella expensive.
  

Tech

• Smartlink - prevents friendly fire. You have this red laser coming out of your eye, that only others, but not you, can see. Allows you to zoom into one more level.
• Enhanced vision - allows you to see enemies that are nearby.
• Glider - little wings that allow you to glide through the air.
• AMG - anti-magic generator. Helpful to eliminate Strangle and steal essence.
  

Magic

• Tree of Life - plants a seed which a tree springs from. Heals players, not only your own teammates, but the enemy as well.
• Gust - kind of like using the force to push someone or something back. If someone is using smoke, you can force them out of that state.
• Smoke - makes you look like a ghost. Bullets fly through you and you can survive long drops. When you undo smoke, it takes a few seconds to be able to use magic or your weapons.
• Teleport - allows you to teleport 10 meters in the direction you are moving.
• Resurrect - revive allies that are dead, but their bodies not "destroyed."
• Minion - summon a minion that can defend an area/item or chase after an enemy.
  

Give money to teammates. This allows some to buy items if they are just a few bucks from purchasing them. This gives money in $200 increments. It also allows you to see which of your teammates have certain magic/tech/abilities.

I'm sure I have left out many other powers and abilities, but I'm doing this all off my head. I tend to play with the same certain items. Right now I'm trying to kill people with strangle.

A lot of reviewers gave this wonderful game a poor review since it lacks a campaign part. I really don't care, if the game is entertaining, online or not, it's good and deserves a good grade. I rate this game an 8.9/10 because of the combinations of powers, weapons, and equipment you have can open up a near unlimited arsenal of abilities. I really love playing this game, and you can find me playing Shadowrun at least several times a week.

NCAA 08 for Xbox 360

Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Designer: EA Tiburon
Release Date (US): July 17, 2007
System(s): PS3, Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS2, Xbox
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer online
Rating: E

I purchased NCAA football 2008 for the Xbox 360 the day it came out. The 60 fps (previous versions were 30 fps I believe) are much crisper and smoother than the last. The interface is a bit overwhelming though, and you can tell your Xbox is thinking very hard when it pops up these instant replays in the background.

Not too much has changed, except for the "Race for the Heisman" mode has been turned into this interesting "Campus Legend" mode. Basically, you start in your high school playoffs and, depending on your performance, you have a choice of schools to attend. The previous versions had a summer camp, or mini-camp, which would allow you to choose your school.

The mini-games are fun, and the achievements are fairly easy to get on Varsity difficulty level. However, this game seems to allow turnovers like no other. My friend and I like to play as crappy schools. I say crappy, but I mean non top 25. Between SMU and Rice, we had 9 turnovers total. We do not consider ourselves novices, since we've been playin' this game as long as we can remember. This game has just gotten a little bit more realistic (when you make mistakes, you pay for them) with a lot more detail in the crowd (they're actually not completely flat 2-D blurred images).

If you are a fan of the series, I would highly recommend getting the new version since it has made some changes. However, the casual football gamer should wait until the price becomes cheaper or when the new Madden drops in August.

8.3/10 - Even though this is a "new version of the same thing" type of product, it's still fun and entertaining. The Campus Legend mode could be better if you got to choose at least one of two or three plays, rather than being forced to play what the coach wants. I do tend to option out of it though. All in all, the game plays beautifully and is a great way to entertain other firneds who enjoy football games. By far one of the greatest football games out there (some prefer Madden, I prefer NCAA).

UPDATE: One thing I have to bitch real quick about. It seems that Microsoft and the developers producing games for the Xbox 360 feel the need to force everyone into submission. They want everyone to have their own Xbox 360. Why? That leads to more XBL accounts, more Xbox 360 units sold, and more games sold. Why can't two people play on one team together? They won't allow you on Madden '07, and they won't allow you either on NCAA '08. I'll write more about this later.

UPDATE 2: It seems that on defense, the controller almost NEVER switches to the right man when you press B. It also has an extremely long delay to switch to another guy, unlike the PS2 versions of the game. Is it just me or are others having this problem?

Weezer Albums

Weezer is one of my favorite all-time bands. I know a lot of people would disagree, but I really think Weezer has such an original sound and should deserve more air play! Regardless, I decided to give a tribute to them by listing some of the better songs from each of their albums.

Weezer (Blue 1996) - 9.5/10

My personal favorite album, their debut CD kicked ass. Starting out with "My Name is Jonas" all the way to "Only in Dreams," I love every single track. Even though it's hard to choose since I love all the tracks, my personal favorites are: The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, Undone, Say It Ain't So, In the Garage, Holiday, and Only in Dreams. Of course all of the other songs that were singles are great, but those you gotta check out.

Pinkerton (1994)- 8.3/10
I often wondered when this album would come out, and found out it did about a year after it actually came out (I think). Back then the internet wasn't really as good as it is now, and there weren't a whole lot of websites (like this one) that you could find a review from the "normal" fan. This is probably my second or third favorite album by Weezer. Much darker than the first album, Pinkerton still has a few tracks on it that can make the listener crack a smile (such as "I'm dumb she's a lesbian, I thought I had found the one."). Highlights of the album include: Why Bother, Across the Sea, The Good Life, El Scorcho, and Pink Triangle, which all coincidentally are tracks 4 through 8.

Weezer (Green 2001) - 6.8/10
By far the worst album to me. The reason I dislike this album the most is because the songs on it were so cheesy. I understand Weezer became much more successful after this album since they were cheesy and appealed to more people (naturally), so I forgive them for tryin' to get paid. There are a few songs on this album that are really good though, and unfortunately radio play has made them less special, if not downright annoying, to hear it being played, but nevertheless: Photograph, Hash Pipe, Island in the Sun, and Glorious Day. These songs are all REALLY short, so it is a bit of a disappointment to spend $10 or $15 on a CD for 35 minutes of music. Too bad Photograph wasn't longer... that song is REALLY good.

Maladroit (2002) - 7.4/10

This album made up a lot for the last one. Weezer went back closer to their original sound than from the previous Green album. One of my friends, Todd, told me this is the album that got him into Weezer. I can understand completely that this might be some people's favorite album, especially if they didn't start listening to Weezer until 2001 from the Green Album or later. Notable songs: Dope Nose, Take Control, Slob, Burndt Jam, Slave, and Fall Together.

Make Believe (2005) - 8.3/10
I can't believe it's already been two years since they came out with this album. I will admit that I was not impressed with Beverly Hills when the single first came out, but it eventually grew on me. I think it was the really heavy and thick drums and chords that got me into the song. I enjoyed this album tremendously, because I feel that it is Weezer getting even closer to what they were like when they first came out. Of course that's impossible since the four members aren't the original four that started, but oh well, this will have to do. Best jams not already mentioned: Perfect Situation, This is Such a Pity, Hold Me, We Are All On Drugs, The Damage In Your Heart, Freak Me Out, and Haunt You Every Day.

I know that I basically listed half the albums for the notable songs, but I figure if anyone wants to start listening to Weezer, that's a great place to start. Until next time!

Marathon: Durandal - Xbox 360/XBLA

Developer: Bungie Studios
Publisher: Bungie Studios
Release Date (US): December 21, 1994 (Mac) August 1, 2007 (XBLA)
System(s): Mac OS, Xbox 360 (reviewed)
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating: M (17+)

Last night I got to download Marathon: Durandal off of XBLA. For a mere 800 MS points ($10), this game can be all yours! This game was actually developed by Bungie studios, the same group who did a little game you might have heard of called Halo. Durandal is the second installement of the Marathon Trilogy.

The best screenshots can be found at xbox.com, which is linked above. I also had two screenshots, but they are really pissing me off right now because they won't format the way it should. I tried putting them at the bottom, but they just won't move from the top. Sorry for the inconvenience. Go here for some other screenshots that isn't at xbox.com.

This game is entertaining, especially since it features multiplayer over local and XBL. You basically start by running around a building resembling a labyrinth, running into aliens and floating robots. When you shoot the aliens, they "splat' like an insect (they look like bugs too).

Pros:

• It's always nice to have another FPS, especially at $10.
• You can actually play with more than one person on one Xbox 360 (I've written about this before).
• Graphics aren't next-gen, but they did a great job smoothing them out for HD output.
• Minimal sound - can listen to music while you play (some might consider this a con though).
• People probably don't know, but as mentioned in the game details, it is a bit ironic (and funny) that Microsoft ported a game that was originally made for Macintosh.
• Some new features were added - such as capture the flag and co-op campaign.

Cons:

• My head started to hurt after a few minutes of play. The turning corners seems too quick.
• The scenery looks all too similar (like Overlord), and it's easy to get lost.
• I don't think there is a button to reload - you kind of just have to time it right. Maybe I didn't find it... hmmm...
• Your "back up" doesn't really help you, they kind of teleport in and out of sections of the level, so it's a bit difficult to figure out where to go next.

Overall Imprsesion: If you enjoy FPS, and have some MS points to spend, go forth and shoot the bugs, but don't rush to the store (or press X to buy MS points) for this title. Marathon: Durandal is a fun game that will probably see some serious downloads soon. I give this game a 7.2/10.

UPDATE: I moved Marathon's rating of 6.8 up to 7.2 because I found out you can dual weild pistols in the game. And punch flying metal robots down. The machine gun also has a grenade launcher on it, and it's the first upgraded weapon you get so... I think Bungie knew what they were doing back in the day. Dual weild in 1994, hmmm... When did Halo 2 come out? 2004? What took them so long? 8/3/07 - 10:25 pm

Flight of the Conchords - Sundays 10:30/9:30c on HBO

This show is great! I discovered it channel surfing and stopping on HBO. No wonder people pay so much for HBO, they have too many good shows without commercials. Fortunately for me my roommate used to work for the cable company so we get just about every premium channel and high speed internet for under $55/month (total).

Flight of the Conchords is about a duo from New Zealand that are living in NYC, trying to get a break. The show is primarily composed of Bret, Jemaine, and Murray (the band manager). The three of them usually have band meetings to discuss any "band opportunities" that may be out there. If you have HBO, this show definitely deserves to be watched at least once. If you don't like it, or if you love it, come back here and leave comments!

Band site

pekosROB's PC

I thought it would be nice for me to tell everyone what exactly I have on my computer, so they can compare the hardware with their own, and determine if a game will run smoothly or not. Ordinarily I would build a PC, but this HP that I have just had too many features, such as the personal harddrive feature and multiple video inputs, that made me yearn for this system.

I have an HP m7760n. Yeah I was pissed that I got this about a month or two before HP changed the color from silver to black, and used the Conroe 4mb cache, doubling from 2mb, but oh well. Everything was stock except the graphics card.

Core 2 Duo @ 2.13 Ghz
Windows Vista Home Premium
2 GB RAM
2 x 250 GB HDD
1 x 300 GB Personal Media Drive
256 mb nVidia GE force 7600gt (PCI-E)
LightScribe DL DVD+/-R/RW
802.11 a/b/g
ATSC Tuner w/Remote Control

I bought the graphics card as a recommendation from a friend who's more into PC gaming than myself. It works pretty well, especially with games that are not intense shooters (I reserve those for the 360), such as Age of Empires III. I didn't want anything fancy or superfluous, just something that would do the trick for the types of games I usually play.

And I have previously written a review on my new keyboard that replaced the piece of shit one they give you. You can read that here.

UPDATE:
I figured I'd also put down the specs of my laptop, which is also HP. It is a Pavillion dv4000us, 15.4" BRIGHTSCREEN laptop.
Windows XP Pro
1.86 Ghz Single Core Centrino (Yeah I know it sucks. I got this notebook in Oct. 2004)
1 GB RAM/100 GB HDD
128 MB GMA 900 (I think it's 900)
DL DVD+/-R/RW
12-cell battery
Credit Card size Remote Control

Overlord (PC, Xbox 360)

Developer: Triumph Studios
Publisher: Codemasters
Release Date (US/CAN): June 26, 2007
System(s): Xbox 360, PC (reviewed)
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating: Teen (13+)

Overlord, a unique and interesting game from Codemasters, is a puzzle/strategy/RPG type of game. You are the overlord, this Sauron-looking individual that is awakened by some of your minions, who want you to take over the countryside once again.

So far I have only played just a fraction of the game, but I'm extremely pleased with the entertainment value!

At the beginning of the game, you can only control a small number of minions. As the game progresses, you can control more, also having access to different types. Brown minions are good at fighting, red minions absorb fire, blue minions can go in water, and green minions are immune to poison. You can also control different types of minions by pressing the RB button, and then one of the A, B, X, or Y buttons to select the minion type. The game does an excellent job of efficiently teaching you how to play in game, rather than having a separate tutorial.

If you want to know more about the game itself, then go check it out at wikipedia.

Pros:

• Interesting concept, completely new to me. Overlord is a game in which you can basically sit in the background and send your minions to fight, or get down and dirty with your own weapon (you start off with an axe, but you can get upgraded weapons and armor).


• Multiplayer - always nice to have some human competition or help, which is almost always better than AI.


• Funny - your minions will eat and drink food, and then burp and pee wherever you happen to pause while walking.

Cons:

• It can be tricky to navigate the minions. I use the USB wireless adapter for Xbox 360 controllers, since I'm less of a PC gamer (except for RTS games) and more accustomed to a console. Yeah, you PC fanboys can shut up right now. :-)


• The game also is very difficult to navigate; that is, it is easy to forget which way you came from and which way you need to go to, since the world looks similar around every corner.


• For people without the latest and greatest PC gaming setup, I could not find any options to change the quality of the graphics for improved play. Perhaps this is actually in the retail version of the game.

7.9/10 - I would recommend people to buy this game, if not at the very least rent it. Both entertaining and interesting, it never felt so good to be so bad.

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