Net Night

2010-02-05 - Birthday - Witch

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to Witch!

2010-01-14 - Birthday - Misling

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to Misling!

2010-01-06 - USB Flash Drives

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:40 PST

I've become picky with the shape and size of USB flash drives that are designed to attach to a key ring. It only took a day with my first one, an 8MB Disk-On-Key almost a decade ago, for me to conclude that they needed to be sleeker.

They have definitely become much slimmer over the years, although a distressing number of manufacturers still put the key loop on the cap and not the drive. (I don't care if I lose the cap, but it's a serious problem if I lose the drive.)

I recently switched from a PNY Attache to a Verbatim TUFF 'N' TINY. The PNY Attache is a great drive for keychains: it had a strong loop at the rear of the drive, a small optional ring so the drive could easily sit "sideways" on a key ring, a cap that stayed put, and a modest size.

The Verbatim TUFF 'N' TINY is significantly smaller, about half the size of an SD Card. The oddest thing about this flash drive it that Verbatim decided to omit the USB plug's protective metal casing and leave the electrical contacts exposed. Personally, this is not a big issue for me - I am not concerned with the exposed electrical contacts. I've dug gunk out of the USB plug of retractable models. And other objects have scraped across the contacts of every model without a cap (or with a lost cap), objects like other keys, headphone connectors, screwdrivers, safety pins, and ballpoint pens. My storage needs outgrew the capacity of these drives before any of them stopped working. Only a few have given up the ghost, but research indicates that I had hit write-limits versus any type of electrical damage from exposed contacts. (Flash memory gradually degrades with use, particularly when data is written to the drive.)

I've got two minor issues with the Verbatim TUFF 'N' TINY (although the small size wins out): the small key loop requires an additional ring to attach to most key rings (in my case, this causes the drive to sit sideways amongst my keys, taking up more space than I'd like), and the short length requires some positioning of the other keys when plugging into a port that's close to another flat surface (eg when my laptop is on a table or desktop ports close to the floor or a wall).

I really like the design of the key-shaped drives from LaCie, particularly the iamaKey and upcoming CooKey models. Without a doubt, these drives are designed for use on keychains, and to make as small an impact as possible while also being fully functional. The LaCie key-shaped drives are a bit more expensive at Amazon.com than similarly-sized drives from other companies. But whether the price difference is worth it is dependent upon your needs. Because I like a light & slim keychain, the LaCie CooKey looks like a dream come true. Perhaps I'll get one once they become generally available and with Amazon.com's free shipping. :)

2009-12-18 - Birthday - GG Crew

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-12-15 - Birthday - El Pollo Diablo

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to El Pollo Diablo!

2009-12-04 - Birthday - Mouser

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to Mouser!

2009-12-02 - Game Update - December

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00 PST

The holiday season is upon us! Interestingly, all the major games have already been released. Perhaps in time for Black Friday?

Available Now:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Gyromancer
King's Bounty: Armored Princess
Left 4 Dead 2
Serious Sam HD

Current    Last             Title
12/08/09 (12/08/09) - Saboteur
01/19/10 (01/12/10) - Dark Void
01/26/10 (01/26/10) - Mass Effect 2
02/01/10 (02/01/10) - Aliens vs. Predator (working title)
02/02/10 (02/02/10) - Star Trek Online
02/09/10 (02/09/10) - BioShock 2
02/23/10 (02/23/10) - Napoleon: Total War
02/23/10 (02/23/10) - Splinter Cell: Conviction
03/02/10 (              ) - Supreme Commander 2
03/16/10 (03/16/10) - Assassin's Creed II
03/16/10 (03/30/10) - Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
03/30/10 (03/30/10) - Crysis 2
03/31/10 (03/31/10) - Battlefield 1943
05/31/10 (              ) - Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
06/30/10 (06/30/10) - Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers
06/30/10 (06/30/10) - Magic: The Gathering: Tactics
06/30/10 (              ) - Puzzle Quest 2
06/30/10 (06/30/10) - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
09/30/10 (09/30/10) - Deus Ex 3
11/01/10 (11/01/10) - World of WarCraft: Cataclysm
12/31/10 (12/31/10) - Final Fantasy XIV
12/31/10 (12/31/10) - Metal Gear Solid: Rising
12/31/10 (12/31/10) - StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
11/11/11 (11/11/11) - Aliens: Colonial Marines
12/31/11 (              ) - Guild Wars 2
12/31/11 (12/31/11) - StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void

At this point, there's nothing that needs to be said about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or Left 4 Dead 2 that you don't already know or can easily find out. Both are high-profile titles, and both have sold like gangbusters.

Gyromancer is very similar to the excellent Puzzle Quest, although it uses the Bejewed Twist mechanic. But despite the chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter dream team of PopCap and Square Enix, the launch was rife with technical issues and reviews have been "just" good.

King's Bounty: Armored Princess is a sequel to the off-beat King's Bounty: The Legend. KB:AP seems to have enjoyed a better translation from the developer's native Russian, but it sounds like the process has dulled some of the WTF?!? that was a highlight of the original. Worth a hard look by anyone interested in turn-based strategy games.

Serious Sam HD is exactly that: the original Serious Sam, but with better graphics. You know you want it. Or that you don't.

Sadly, there's not much new to say about most of the upcoming games. I've got high hopes for two of the new games on the list: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Puzzle Quest 2.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is set for release alongside the upcoming movie, and is expected to revisit the Sands of Time storyline.

Puzzle Quest 2 has almost no info, other than being announced. But I loved the original Puzzle Quest. May skip Gyromancer and hold out for PQ2.

2009-11-30 - Birthday - Tigger

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to Tigger!

2009-11-29 - Birthday - Bubbles

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00 PST

Happy Birthday to Bubbles!

2009-11-05 - Game Update - November

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:25 PST

Quite a few worthwhile game released over the past month! And, of course, Windows 7.

Available Now:
Borderlands
Dragon Age: Origins
Dreamkiller
Gratuitous Space Battles
King's Bounty: Armored Princess
League of Legends
Machinarium
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Torchlight
Windows 7

Current    Last             Title
11/10/09 (11/10/09) - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
11/17/09 (11/17/09) - Left 4 Dead 2
12/08/09 (              ) - Saboteur
01/12/10 (              ) - Dark Void
01/26/10 (02/01/10) - Mass Effect 2
02/01/10 (02/01/10) - Aliens vs. Predator (working title)
02/02/10 (              ) - Star Trek Online
02/09/10 (02/09/10) - BioShock 2
02/23/10 (              ) - Napoleon: Total War
02/23/10 (03/02/10) - Splinter Cell: Conviction
03/16/10 (11/17/09) - Assassin's Creed II
03/30/10 (              ) - Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
03/30/10 (03/30/10) - Crysis 2
03/31/10 (03/31/10) - Battlefield 1943
06/30/10 (              ) - Magic: The Gathering: Tactics
06/30/10 (06/30/10) - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
09/30/10 (09/30/10) - Deus Ex 3
11/01/10 (11/01/10) - World of WarCraft: Cataclysm
12/31/10 (12/31/10) - Final Fantasy XIV
12/31/10 (12/31/09) - Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers
12/31/10 (12/31/10) - Metal Gear Solid: Rising
12/31/10 (12/31/10) - StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
11/11/11 (11/11/09) - Aliens: Colonial Marines
12/31/11 (12/31/11) - StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void

Borderlands has been described as a "First-Person Looter", a shooter like Half-Life but where the baddies drop upgraded weapons and armor like Diablo or Titan Quest. Multiplayer co-op is a good thing!

If you are an RPG nut, then you probably already have Dragon Age: Origins. For everyone else, know that DA:O is a hardcore RPG in the classic AD&D vein. It's also one of the best reviewed games of this year. Single player only.

Beyond the self-deprecating name, Gratuitous Space Battles has a unique game mechanic that makes the game particularly interesting. GSB is a "set 'em up and let 'em loose" game: customize your ships, choose their weapons and armor, place them in formation, and send them on their way. Your fleet will do their best to eliminate the enemy while you sit back and hope you planned accordingly. Multiplayer is different: download your friends' fleets and see how they compare to yours.

League of Legends is a direct descendant of the popular Defense of the Ancients map for WarCraft III. Developed by much of the same team, LoL has broken free of the limits of the WarCraft III game engine, implementing heroes and abilities that were never before possible. Gameplay is essentially the same as DotA, with similar bright colors and exaggerated features of WCIII. LoL is free to play, and its strong pedigree makes it worth the download.

Machinarium is a point & click adventure game in the most classic sense. 2D, good animations, puzzles that (mostly) make sense. Check out the demo, even if the genre isn't your thing.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has finally made the jump to PC. Dubbed the "Ultimate Sith Edition", it includes extra levels that follow the non-canonical ending of the main storyline (there are two endings to the game). The extra levels include some items from classic Star Wars lore, including Wampas in the rebel's base on Hoth.

Whereas Borderlands twists the Diablo experience into a first-person perspective, Torchlight keeps things in the traditional overhead isometric view. While calling it a "Diablo clone" is accurate, the description is also somewhat dismissive. Torchlight was developed by some of the key team behind Blizzard's Diablo, and includes various improvements to keep the action going. Torchlight is currently a single player game, which the company plans to spin into an MMO within 2 years. I'm seriously planning on picking up the game, but not until after I finish Dragon Age. :)

I'm not sure what to say about Windows 7, other than everyone should expect to make the upgrade over the next year. Windows 7's 64-bit mode has numerous advantages over its 32-bit mode, most notably being able to use more than 4GB of RAM. WinXP has been an excellent workhorse since its release in 2001, but today's hardware is bumping into the limitations of the aging OS. Expect to see a few computers running Windows 7 at the next Net Night.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is looking fantastic. There's been a row over the developer's decision to omit dedicated servers and other PC-centric multiplayer features. While I've liked all the other Call of Duty games (and I'll probably like this one, too), I don't feel a need to pick this up right away.

I currently have a similar "meh" interest level for Left 4 Dead 2. I don't feel that the original Left 4 Dead has been played out by our group. On the other hand, the new boss Infected are interesting and will add some much-needed variety when playing on the zombie side.

A number of new games on the list this month, ones which I've been tracking for a while but are only appearing because we're so close to their release date.

Saboteur has a strong graphic design, shading the world in gray except for the vibrantly red Nazi insignias. As you gradually free Paris from Nazi control, the city becomes more colorful and lively. It certainly looks good, but I want to get my hands on a demo.

Star Trek Online is... Well, I guess it is what it sounds like. It's not Secret of the Vulcan Fury, that's for sure.

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is the final chapter in the long-running Tiberium storyline. Yes, Kane returns. But, unlike every other game and expansion in this series, it is finally explained! I still feel the pain of C&C: Tiberian Sun, so consider me "cautiously optimistic".

As expected, no updates on StarCraft II.