October 30, 2003
October 28, 2003
Games 3 Hardware 0
In case you hadn't noticed, Max Payne 2 has arrived. After playing a demo of the first game, I became a fan and bought the full version: Brilliant. I've been looking forward to the sequel for quite some time, and whilst I'm not a fan of paying full whack for a game (and hence usually wait for it to drop down in price a few months down the line) I made an exception and bought MP2 from MVC. First impressions are great, and my graphics card is coping fine (more on that later...)
I also picked up a copy of Myst III Exile which I've wasted most of tonight on. A mesmorising game that has already absorbed me into it despite being pretty confused about what the hell is actually going on.
Finally, I also treated myself to Dynasty Warriors 3 from Game for my PS2: an over-the-top, huge scale combat game with an all important co-operative mode for some potential post-pub entertainment.
So, 3 more games to add to my collection, all of which I've been thinking of getting for a while. What I've also been thinking of getting is an upgrade for my gradually ageing nVidia GeForce4 MX 420 3D graphics card. I don't need it, but it would be nice to be able to run all my games at maximum detail level without any compromise on performance. Also, I'm seriously considering purchasing Battlefield 1942
when it becomes available in Deluxe Edition from Play, which would certainly benefit from a graphics card upgrade. Plus, if I want to play Half Life 2 when it eventually gets released, the upgrade is a must.
Paul made the most of his time at work and found a GeForce FX5600 128MB for me at dabs which certainly won't break the bank. However, I do wonder if I should take the ATI route, especially when dodgy things are going on in the 3D graphics world. Oh, and the latest 52.16 XP drivers I just downloaded have a bug in them.
4 days to pay day...
October 24, 2003
When I press my eye, it makes a squidgey noise
That's not right, right?
I noticed this a while ago and forgot about it until now: when I apply pressure, using my finger, to the area between my right eye and my nose (just below the lacrimal caruncle) I can hear a squelching sound which is pretty difficult to explain. Especially as it seems to be originating from my eye.
Yikes.
October 20, 2003
Keyboard Fame?
Hey look! Word is spreading about my Any-key-equipped-keyboard.
Soon everyone will want one.
Kill Bill: Thrill or Chill?
It's been a while since I last went to the cinema, so I was looking forward to going again, this time to see Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Having seen both Reservoir Dogs and the excellent Pulp Fiction, I'm happy to admit that I'm a fan of Quentin Tarantino's style of film-making. I've yet to see Jackie Brown, but I hope to fairly soon.
I'd watched a few clips and had an idea of the plot, but have since heard more and more reports of the ultra-violent film content. Having now seen it for myself I too can agree that this probably isn't the film you want to take your girlfriend to if she is at all uneasy about blood. It's certainly worth seeing for the curious and the Tarantino fans; the fight scenes are spectacular albeit over-the-top, and the film has both a very retro and slick style running throughout.
The bottom line for me was that while I didn't really enjoy the film, it was certainly worth seeing. I'll probably wait for Vol. 2 to come out on DVD rather than go out to see it on release at the cinema.
October 06, 2003
Let's Get the Basts
I'm no fan of junk text messages, just like any other normal person.
I was obviously very pleased to read news (albeit 2 months late) that Vodafone are doing their bit to help punish the idiots that are the cause of spam txts.
It's free to report them for Vodafone customers, simply forward to 87726 (which spells VSPAM on your keypad), so do your bit if you can.
October 01, 2003
Lost the Plot
New month, new cartoon in my Lost The Plot Desk Calendar 2003.
Thanks for making me laugh, Eric Decetis.