tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56496062011-09-12T12:02:37.436-04:00Information and thoughts from my life of science, family, gaming and music.txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.comBlogger1181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-68507543937182127522009-04-09T08:45:00.002-04:002009-04-09T09:11:16.958-04:00

Idol Thoughts - Blind Scott editionThis entire week at American Idol was pretty lousy ... and I really cannot muster the energy to recap it again. I failed to take notes during the lackluster performances, and we were more interested in the return of Fringe than the fact that Idol was on. But really there were no surprises - Lil was mediocre but the judges made sure to praise her copiously

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-62208711918419303342009-04-02T08:20:00.004-04:002009-04-02T11:26:25.395-04:00

Idol Thoughts - Top Downloads?Welcome back to another week of dreary singing, illiterate judges, and blatant pandering. Favorites are pampered while undesirables are trashed. Because this ... is American Idol.We got a quick glance at Alexis Grace in the audience, but I never caught Sarver. Alexis - who said she couldn't wait to get home to her daughter, was apparently pulled back for whatever

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-25784330944726594992009-03-27T12:58:00.003-04:002009-03-27T14:31:34.822-04:00

The Digital Download DivideI have been a big proponent of digital downloads from the very beginning. Back in the early Newton PDA days it was a novelty to download a trial of a game like Deja Vu's 'Right of Way' (basically Milles Borne) and then purchase a registration code to enter. By the time I bought Call of Duty 2 for the Pocket PC ... it was standard practice. But things started to

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-88824596577586510132009-03-27T12:08:00.003-04:002009-03-27T14:10:13.500-04:00

Idol Thoughts - Motown WeakWell, if you are new here ... welcome! If you have been reading these previously at GamingWithChildren, double welcome! Another week has come and gone, and with it another contestant has also departed. More shenanigans occurred, more embarrassing moments, and of course ... more cognitive dissonance. Because this ... is American Idol.Have you gotten over the loss of

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-70529480813356478012008-09-26T10:27:00.002-04:002008-09-26T10:56:48.424-04:00

U R a Genius!OK, so color me SOLD on Apple's Genius system. It still has no idea what to do with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, but I will forgive that (I know very few people who know what to do with them! :D )I still barely touch them on my Mac or PC, but have started using them on my iPod. And it was one of those off-hand sorts of things - I was listening to a Miles Davis song from his Live at

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-59821407265408607922008-09-16T09:39:00.002-04:002008-09-16T09:45:27.259-04:00

Retro-Gaming - killing my interest in handhelds?Just a thought - since I started doing all fo my retro-gaming, and in particular since I started using the HP2133 Mini-Note more and more for gaming, my time on the DS and PSP seems to have dwindled.There have certainly been many hours of handheld gaming, as demonstrated by my quarterly 'whole game in my hand' articles at RPGWatch. But right now,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-51430864793542250962008-09-15T09:00:00.000-04:002008-09-15T09:00:01.811-04:00

Retro: Revisiting Divine DivinityBefore I did reviews for GamerDad, I wrote these things called 'Game Comments' for another site. Having just played through Divine Divinity again i thought i would go back and revisit the one I did more than two and a half years ago for that game ... Game: Divine DivinityGenre: RPGSub-Genre: Single player, isometric.System: PCRating: T (Teen)My Score: 4.5+/5

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-14568586603958110682008-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:002008-09-14T09:00:01.064-04:00

Retro: Demos galore ... and no more PC games ...So I wandered into my local EBGames tonight on the way home from work to see if they had the new Mage Knight games for the DS and PC. I went straight to the counter because I didn't have much time. The guy there used to work at the store in the Mall, and is one of the more competent game store guys I've met. So while he grabbed me a copy of the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-6497537895421621812008-09-13T09:00:00.000-04:002008-09-13T09:00:00.831-04:00

Retro: Grandma is RightA couple of weeks ago my wife's dad finally died after a long struggle with leukemia ... and coronary issues ... and lung problems ... and fluid issues ... and, well lots of other stuff. The death certificate read like a laundry list. For perspective, it was three years ago at Thanksgiving that the family came together for a 'goodbye' dinner - no one, including his various

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-2159895633336842742008-09-12T11:00:00.000-04:002008-09-12T11:00:01.341-04:00

Retro: Not to be confused with GamerDadWhat the heck? It seems like we should all be working together, but as usual Microsoft sees something that they like and stomp in like the 800lb gorilla. This time it is GamerDad - yep, place I've enjoyed being part of for the past few years. Seems Microsoft has launched a new site called 'Gamer Dad' - check it out here and here. The second one even

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-62020421848228765412008-09-12T10:46:00.001-04:002008-09-12T10:47:38.740-04:00

Porting some other stuff ... I had decided to stick with Blogger rather than Windows Live Spaces a few months ago, but since I did things in both places for a while I have stuff that needs to be ported over. I'll label those as 'Retro' articles.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-84331704483406620582008-09-11T13:56:00.001-04:002008-09-11T14:30:16.587-04:00

Sacred 2 DRM - aw crap, NOW what do I do?!?Well, Sacred 2 is a game I have been looking forward to and plan to buy, but I was annoyed at reading the press release from Ascaron about their DRM. They have a less restrictive SecuROM than Mass Effect / Spore, where you can activate / de-activate yourself to keep your license up to date. The problem?"A transfer to a third (party) is not part of the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-89041126790119796732008-09-11T09:34:00.002-04:002008-09-11T09:56:42.037-04:00

How to recognize a good school.Last week the kids started school, the first full year in New York. They had gone to school for ~6 weeks at the end of last year, which gave them some familiarity and contacts. But they were quite nervous because they still missed their friends and Mass was the only home they had ever known.My wife had worked in the middle school for about a year and a half before

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-5648810406599664252008-09-11T08:58:00.002-04:002008-09-11T09:00:38.190-04:00

September 11th ... a time to reflect.It was the first day of preschool for my younger son and my wife had my older son at the playground and when she came back to pick the little one up she found out.I was at work and had a visiting colleague who ended up stuck across the country from her family for an extra week.I have a blog post at GamingWithChildren today.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-16611299338757577772008-09-10T15:42:00.002-04:002008-09-10T16:54:21.350-04:00

News Flash: Apple's Mobile Me STILL SucksThere has been loads of activity since Apple launched the iPhone 3G back in July, but too little seems to be focused on the fact that the launch of MobileMe was a disaster - and that the service continues to be easily described as 'MobileMeh'!I have always liked the ability to access my .Mac email from the Mac or PC, and traditionally used the Mail app on

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-88346236492061252912008-09-09T15:27:00.002-04:002008-09-09T15:41:53.541-04:00

Apple's new 'Genius' ... not too smart!Of course I just couldn't wait to grab iTunes 8 as soon as it was posted by Apple. There are supposedly a bunch of new features, but the one Steve Jobs was touting in his big announcement was the 'genius', which is supposed to look at your library and into iTunes and then suggest things in your library and on iTunes that you might like.Since the stuff I

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-4954993437296723222008-09-09T11:18:00.002-04:002008-09-09T12:07:55.298-04:00

Spore - The heck with you EA, I'm *NOT* getting it!I have been interested but not frothing about Spore, but it is the sort of game - like Sid Meier's Pirates! a few years ago - that I would have bought for near full price within the first couple of weeks.I say 'would have' because I have decide that I will *not* be buying Spore. Why? Because of the draconian DRM scheme that EA has cooked up

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1149882556845211952008-09-03T15:48:00.000-04:002008-09-03T16:07:26.638-04:00

So what *do* you tell them ... ?It isn't really a question, more of a lamentation, I suppose ...I found out on Memorial Day that my uncle had killed himself ... 46 years ago. My mother took care of decorating the cemeteries and sent pictures of gravestones. I was casually asking some questions and it came to how my two uncles died. I knew my one uncle had died of kidney failure. Apparently he

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-30853166943131139662008-09-03T12:23:00.002-04:002008-09-03T12:28:26.722-04:00

Negative feedback ... hard to take The other night I got my first negative feedback at Goozex. I didn't panic or freak out - I knew what to do, and sent PM's to 'feedback' and also to the other trader in order to work things out.But this is my first negative, and it really made me angry getting it! I was surprised, of course, and would have been with any game I had sent out. Unplayable disk was

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-150600615628402012008-09-03T12:06:00.003-04:002008-09-03T12:20:29.645-04:00

The Dumbest Generation - Harrowing First ThoughtsI've been reading the book "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age is Stupefying Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future" recently, and reflecting upon what is being said as I travel through everyday life. The more I think about it the more I realize my kids are very much an isolated case - they read a ton for pleasure, listen to a wide

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-57160175050458363422008-09-02T14:43:00.003-04:002008-09-03T12:01:34.416-04:00

Thank you for smoking ... NOT!We love to go outdoors and do things together as a family. So naturally on Labor Day weekend we took advantage of the excellent weather to do as much as possible. There was a variety of activities, but one common theme - wherever we went, it was impossible to engage in the activity we wanted to without walking through a wall of second-hand smoke. These were

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-76229793638640067502008-08-28T12:42:00.002-04:002008-08-28T12:47:52.002-04:00

Loving my iPod Touch once again!OK since my last comments on the iPod Touch as my least favorite iPod, Apple releases a new upgrade (2.02), and as a result I haven't touched my iPod Nano in a week.Has something happened to change my opinions of the MP3 player shortcomings of this otherwise wonderful device? No. It is still a major hassle to deal with.But it hasn't crashed since the new upgrade,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-56620166574577835682008-08-18T12:54:00.002-04:002008-08-18T13:07:20.242-04:00

Adventures in Babysitting.Well, this is somewhat redundant ... I posted nearly two months ago about catching up at Goozex and going through all of the posts, and how much of a strain it was looking at all of the posts from teens there who were complaining about every manner of injustice.Well, Goozex just got unblocked at work, so I have been trying to drop by to join back in the conversation.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-82993024204377787192008-08-08T16:26:00.004-04:002008-08-18T12:54:40.447-04:00

iPod Touch - my least favorite iPodOK, so I'm spoiled rotten ... I admit it. I have had digital music since I could play AIFF files on my Newton back in the 90's, and I bought the original iPod and have had one from every generation since. I have pretty much skipped the video-focused ones because, well, I have other gadgets to do that! I still have that first iPod, a 40GB one that had the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-17483778518165175972008-07-29T16:53:00.001-04:002008-07-29T16:53:54.573-04:00

When the music dies ...One thing I have always liked about the 'less-than-commercial' music I enjoy is that the artists remain PEOPLE. I mean, I saw The Police three times during the late 70's - early 80's period, yet have nothing that really keys me into the trio as individual people. Contrast this with my elevator ride with jazz legend John Scofield in the Charles Hotel in Cambridge back in

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-11443058479291318622008-06-27T10:03:00.002-04:002008-06-27T11:10:52.884-04:00

Rebooting at Goozex:After getting settled in a bit, I started offering up some games at Goozex again. I had been on a 'receive-only' binge for a while and burned through most of the 11,000+ points I had accumulated. So it was time to get back to dumping my junk for points.I have sent out a few things, and also ran into a confusing problem: I can't find some of my DS games. Not stuff I care

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-65421005159989759022008-06-26T13:48:00.002-04:002008-06-26T13:49:36.332-04:00

(from GamingWithChildren) Imagine this: a new third-person action-RPG is announced, created by one of the grandmasters of the genre, the mastermind behind some of the best games in the beloved Wizardry franchise. It promises tense action, engaging combat, deep skill system, and a complex and engrossing story. It is delayed, and delayed again, and eventually a very disappointing and

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-58483177724032894112008-06-25T12:55:00.002-04:002008-06-25T13:07:13.375-04:00

Another new start ... Well, it has been a couple of years ... but my last post detailed how my previous work laptop had this blog blocked so it wasn't worth trying. But over the past 6 months or so I have been laid off, worked a 3 month spot at a small start up, and more recently been hired and started working at Corning Inc in Corning NY. This has meant moving the whole family to the 'Southern

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1142908256035296782006-03-20T21:04:00.000-05:002006-03-20T21:30:56.153-05:00

The Silence of the DesktopIt was just over 9 months ago that my company decreed that people could no longer play music out loud at the desks. Within a couple of weeks there was an implicit ban on headphone music at the desk, They had long since blocked any Net Radio stations, but a couple of incidents of customer visits marked by expletives heard streaming from one persons desk, and another of

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1142015079304811132006-03-16T08:00:00.000-05:002006-03-16T07:37:24.480-05:00

iPod Shuffle = Freedom!I have had digital music on the go in MP3 form since I got the HP 430se PDA in 1998. It was the first PDA to have integrated MP3 capability, and since I had access to 'large' (32MB was large at that time!) compact flash cards, I was all set. Simply rip CD's to MP3 format using the very rudimentary MusicMatch Jukebox, transfer over the horribly slow 56k serial cable, and I

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1141828002241787092006-03-07T12:48:00.000-05:002006-03-08T09:26:42.306-05:00

Getting back to actually blogging!I have been posting too many 'epics' lately and as a result have loads of 'drafts' that I can't finish for one reason or other. Time to get back to just posting stuff.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1140584910214942412006-02-21T23:58:00.000-05:002006-02-22T00:08:30.226-05:00

Y'know, I got a message replying to the post I made about getting to play Santa for my kids' elementary school that I thought was very insightful, so I figured I'd share.It said "Hi txa1265 (Mike), I found your blog while doing some research on computer chair for kids. I like your blog, thank you for sharing the information and keep up the good work!.I'll be back to see if you have any posts

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1137778267734379622006-02-17T13:45:00.000-05:002006-02-17T13:48:30.056-05:00

My Love and Hate List for 2005Perhaps it is the scientist in me, but I believe that there is a natural order to things, that some things are better than others, and that this includes art, music and even video games. So while working on GamerDad's Game of the Year pages, I decided I had no interest in putting up a list of what I thought were the 10 best games of the year. But why? Shouldn't

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1139404276025312622006-02-08T06:21:00.000-05:002006-02-08T08:11:16.133-05:00

More from the Blizzard of '78I knew I had some pictures I had scanned from slides my parents had in a box ... I dug them up yesterday just to look.This one shows our house from the street. It is already more than 24 hours later, the snow has compacted, and everything is completely closed and snowed in. In order there is my Dad, my older brother (would have been ~14.5) and me (almost 12). The

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1139325785084261592006-02-07T10:17:00.000-05:002006-02-07T10:32:52.040-05:00

Dungeon Lords - The Original Review, In commemoration of the release of the 'Collector's Edition' for Dungeon Lords.OK, this review is a mess ... yet there is something about it and how it represented my feelings that I just could never delete it - so here you go, read my schizo first draft.===============================================What does it say when it is more dangerous to say “I like

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1139322530162755112006-02-07T09:21:00.000-05:002006-02-07T09:29:16.323-05:00

28 Years Ago TodayThe Blizzard of '78.More than 4 feet of snow.100 MPH winds.High tides cresting 40 foor waves.Dozens of homes and businesses wiped out instantly, hundreds badly damaged.100 people dead due to every imaginable weather related cause.I was 12. Old enough to shovel snow for several people in the neighborhood to help out. Old enough to be terrified watching the news showing the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1136755021679636892006-01-08T13:21:00.000-05:002006-01-11T13:27:03.993-05:00

Catching up with the movies ...Over the past couple of weeks we've had the chance to do some movie renting ... much more than usual. And we used it to catch up with some stuff we've been meaning to watch.Polar Express - as reviewed here, but I liked it more than Cary. But perhaps that is because it is one of our family's favorite Christmas books, and we love sharing it each year. Some of the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1133786636143229682005-12-05T07:34:00.000-05:002005-12-05T15:15:11.906-05:00

... It's for the Kids ...I am very involved with my kids and their activities. I'm a Cub Scout leader, a Team Manager for Destination Imagination, and teach CCD for our Church. I attend every weekend or night function, and do my best to get to every function during the day. I'm involved, and I do pretty well as a leader and motivator of kids - and I love doing it. But when I got a call a week

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1133531883102454772005-12-02T07:31:00.000-05:002005-12-02T16:44:48.903-05:00

Bringing Closure to Two Years of HateTwo years already? ... two years. On December 2nd, 2003 Deus Ex: Invisible War was released - and I was there on the day of release to get it. Sure, there was a demo a couple of weeks prior, but I had already decided I didn't want to spoil the beginning ... see, I was such a big Deus Ex fan that I *knew* it would be great.Only it wasn't. In fact, not only

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1133472991691503152005-12-01T16:07:00.000-05:002005-12-01T16:36:31.746-05:00

For the Love of Game DemosOne of the games on my IGN 'Wish List'was Hammer & Sickle, a strategy-RPG by a Russian developer based on the acclaimed Silent Storm engine. Everything that I read about it looked quite interesting - you play as a Russian agent in early Cold War located in the Allied zone of Germany, you get to choose a character type and progress through the game, and there broad

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1133210295166703572005-11-28T07:01:00.000-05:002005-11-29T16:16:23.773-05:00

Thanksgiving With a DifferenceSomeone said that 'Traditions are made to be made'. In other words, don't just stick with the way it has always been done for the sake of it, adapt and change with what is going on around you. That is something we have tried to do, and this year we really needed to embrace it head on! My wife's parents are not well - her father has end-stage leukemia (has for >2

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1132665448843591042005-11-23T13:15:00.000-05:002005-11-23T13:24:00.380-05:00

Remembering the game - XIII (PC, 2003)XIII is one of those milestone games that tells a good and bad tale from my gaming life. I was very interested in this game based on what it offered - a quality FPS presented in a stylistic graphic novel presentation with a compelling story of mystery and intrugue that would require gamers to use their brains as well as their trigger fingers.Of course,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1131559094046745372005-11-09T16:08:00.000-05:002005-11-09T16:01:24.466-05:00

Is Gay Marriage Eating Itself?Buried deep in the news coverage of yesterday's "off-year" elections was the following item:Texans approved a "constitutional amendment providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman and prohibiting this state or a political subdivision of this state from creating or recognizing any legal status identical or similar to

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1131356094873394852005-11-07T11:20:00.000-05:002005-11-07T11:25:01.906-05:00

What's On FirstNo, not "who's on first" - although I am a big fan of Abbott & Costello! What's on first. What?!?I just got a new computer - and it is a whopper! A Dell XPS M170 (they've dropper the Inspiron attachment with this latest generation), fully decked out - 2GB of RAM, big hard drive, the latest Pentium 4M processor (2.26 GHz 'EE', not directly comparable to std. P4), and in

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130526708633924082005-11-04T14:34:00.000-05:002005-11-04T12:29:03.950-05:00

Time For A BreakDiscussion forums have been at the heart of my internet experience since the mid-late 80's on university mainframes. For the longest time I was involved in USENET groups covering everything from Statistics to Programming to Handheld PDA's to Jazz and finally Gaming. It is only recently that the reality of the 'Death of USENET' has caused me to stop checking the newsgroups.I have

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1131119923725346622005-11-04T07:19:00.000-05:002005-11-04T11:00:16.036-05:00

Bookworm ... or, just checking my references ...These days you hear about falling literacy rates all over the place, how kids would rather plug into to watch Cartoon Network or play on the PS2 than pick up a book. We have always worked to instill a love of reading in our kids, and apparently it worked ... my younger son was reading a Usborne book on crystals he had gotten from the library, and

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130937113105094542005-11-03T14:30:00.000-05:002005-11-03T14:42:30.530-05:00

Halloween FunWe did things a little different this year.Normally we spend a bunch of time decorating the house, getting the inside and outside all ready, and get two sets of pumpkins - one in September just for decorations, and the other for carving. We work on our costumes as a family and are all ready well before Halloween.This year we were contacted by a friend who was involved with the town

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130772841808784022005-10-31T07:48:00.000-05:002005-11-01T10:41:58.133-05:00

First SnowThis weekend we had both our first snow and some wonderful 'Indian Summer' weather. There isn't much to look at in the picture above, taken on our Cub Scout hike up Pack Monadnock mountain in Peterborough, NH yesterday - but the impact was there. The couple of inches that had fallen were melting fast in the 60+ degree temperatures, making the rocky climb muddy in spots and treacherous

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130427372434713792005-10-27T06:21:00.000-04:002005-10-27T11:36:12.513-04:00

Global Warming ... Or Not - Does It Matter?There has been an uptick in the debate over whether or not the recent spate of massive natural disasters - hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes - are all indicators that not only is Global Warming real, these are indicators of the impact it is having on our environment. The counter-arguments are all supported by some decent science as well, showing

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130173739228440182005-10-26T15:29:00.000-04:002005-10-26T15:37:12.923-04:00

The 'In' CrowdIt seems that an increasing amount of games released recently are either based on or tied into a license of some sort. Whether it is a movie, TV show, or even just characters from other games, the amount of individually developed intellectual property in games seems to be shrinking. Sure, there is some - F.E.A.R. for the PC is a good example - but by and large the tendency seems

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130336698438451172005-10-26T10:23:00.000-04:002005-10-26T10:25:47.846-04:00

Painkiller vs. Sacred ... gaming like it's 1997!?!Something I posted on a forum about a year and a half ago:I've been playing Sacred for many hours, and just got Painkiller last week. While playing the two games (Sacred one night, Painkiller next day) I was struck by something ...Picture the scene - you are strafing into hordes of undead, killing all of them is your only goal, your only option,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130335129764430072005-10-26T06:35:00.000-04:002005-10-26T10:01:14.720-04:00

Playing Nice With The SamAt first there was disappointment. Then resignation. Bargaining. Acceptance. Installation. Realization. And Despair. Now I'm trying to ...Wait.Installation?Yep. Installation of Serious Sam II. The game I railed about not getting in this space just a week or so ago is now on my hard drive, and has seen a couple of hours of gameplay. And all I can do is sit back

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130183446962410102005-10-24T14:56:00.000-04:002005-10-25T10:10:32.806-04:00

The Game is Dead ... Long Live the GameIf you spend any time on the 'official forums' of any game with a multiplayer component, it is inevitible that within months or perhaps weeks of release you will see posts along the lines of "the game is dying!" I was thinking about this as I looked at the playlist numbers below:Looking at the stats on GameSpy as of October 24th ...1. Half Life 30437

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1130177891413735572005-10-24T13:09:00.000-04:002005-10-24T14:18:11.446-04:00

What's that in the Sky? It's the GamerDad SignalAndrew Bub launched a new column at GamerDad called the GamerDad Signal, in which he says "GamerDad is recognized by mainstream newspapers as a source for accurate information about videogames and children. And GamerDad is respected industry wide by the people – especially the parents – who make these games."He makes the case for GamerDad, which is

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1129217879577149002005-10-14T16:30:00.000-04:002005-10-14T16:25:20.996-04:00

The iPod FrenzyPSP Forum switchboards all over the world are lighting up today following the announcement of Apple's new iPod with video capability. Apple has done something with the iPod for video that they have already done for music - make it legal, accessible and easy. And that is putting the PSP fanboy network on high alert!You see - they need to know that they have the "#1 Sexy Gadget in

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1129290455646142652005-10-14T10:27:00.000-04:002005-10-14T10:52:11.840-04:00

No, I will NOT 'Get Serious'!'Get Serious!' It is one of those expressions many of us have heard while growing up and into young adulthood, and perhaps some of us have used as our own kids begin to grow up.'Serious' Sam is a video game franchise based around a simple premise - shooting lots of stuff. Frenetic action is the order of the day. Wave after wave of enemy came rolling at the player -

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1128455160290396852005-10-12T11:09:00.000-04:002005-10-12T11:13:48.033-04:00

If it's such a great game ...... then why has it taken you long to replay it?That's a question that was asked of me in the wake of the recent release of the 'media upgrade' for Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords (aka KotOR2). Isn't that a strange question? With longer games, don't people often only play once, or at least wait a while in between playing? Perhaps 'people' do

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1128426865570154432005-10-12T08:29:00.000-04:002005-10-12T08:50:02.523-04:00

So they didn't die before they got old ...I was listening to some 60's rock on my iPod (specifically some Yardbirds), which then triggered me for some reason to listen to The Who's Tommy. So far so good. But then that night, we were watching some TV, and heard a couple of Who songs - one as part of a commercial, the other as part of one of the various CSI shows. And recently the Rolling Stones

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1128961348175444482005-10-11T08:21:00.000-04:002005-10-11T14:15:03.526-04:00

All Tragedy is LocalThat adaptation of Tip O'Neil's famous line "All politics is local" is what I thought of this weekend. While the Gulf Coast is still reeling and recovering from the recent hurricane disasters, Central America is still counting its' dead from the recent hurricane in that region, and even as we learned of the horrific earthquake in northern Pakistan killing tens of thousands,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1128433287763900142005-10-04T07:54:00.000-04:002005-10-04T09:41:27.826-04:00

Yardbirds - Shapes of ThingsInteresting story ... we had bought my son the Green Day 'American Idiot' CD for his birthday, but a friend gave him that at his party so we needed to change plans. So I had returned the CD, and was going to get him The Killers 'Hot Fuss'. I was in the mall, and wandered into the music store (the type where you almost never buy stuff because it is usually $17+), and

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1128015805897520062005-09-29T13:46:00.000-04:002005-09-29T13:43:52.093-04:00

Paranoia ReminderDon't stick your neck out, they'll cut your head off.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1127931915975944772005-09-29T10:13:00.000-04:002005-09-29T10:20:33.573-04:00

Comfort GamingWhen times are difficult or stressful, many of us look to things that give us comfort against those stresses. Comfort foods are the classic example, but some people do gardening, or yoga, or other activities. I run 5 miles in the dark every morning at 4AM to loosen up my brain and muscles, and I also fall back on some of my favorite video games as a form of stress relief.In fact,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1127897614947066642005-09-28T03:30:00.000-04:002005-09-28T07:55:47.300-04:00

Bard's Tale Second Opinion ReviewI got my copy of the Bard's Tale for very cheap off eBay right before GamerDad posted Marc Salzman's review. I had previously decided not to get the game, so the timing was interesting - it allowed me to get a view from a perspective I always appreciate on a game I bought on a whim, and therefore had pretty low expectations from. So what did I think about it?

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1126806594907194422005-09-15T14:16:00.000-04:002005-09-15T13:49:54.940-04:00

Letter to PC Gamer on the F.E.A.R. ReviewWhen I saw in the back of last month’s PC Gamer that the ‘world first’ review of the game F.E.A.R. I did a bit of math to satisfy my curiosity. November issue means early September delivery, which means late August press date which means mid-August deadlines. That means an early to mid-August play-through required.As I check now, as I read the article on

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1126790098280661262005-09-15T07:19:00.000-04:002005-09-15T09:16:54.223-04:00

Boxed Sets Can Be GemsThe first boxed set of music I ever got was a set of Wagner's Orchestral works on three albums that I bought in 1981. It has remained with me in one form or other ever since, and remains on my iPod to this day. The next one I got was 'Miles Davis - The Columbia Years 1955 - 1985'. This wasn't bad - I had the majority of the music, but there were some new tracks, and the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1126121888381161332005-09-07T13:34:00.000-04:002005-09-07T15:38:08.463-04:00

My Last Ditch Effort for ListenersI like strange music that almost no one else likes. That is fine, and I have dealt with that for about 25 years now. Since I followed Jeff Beck from the Yardbirds through his fusion work, which led me to John Scofield and Miles Davis, my tastes have veered way off the mainstream. It didn't take me very long to branch through the entirety of Miles' catalog,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1126030984348059732005-09-06T08:50:00.000-04:002005-09-06T14:23:04.393-04:00

System Seller vs. System BuyerA lot of press time is being spent talking about how the new Nintendo DS game 'Nintendogs' is for teenage girls. If the game brings more girls (and women) to gaming in general, that is all the better. But my experience has shown me that this game is appealing to gamers of all ages, genders and genres. It is not just a gimmick, it is a fun and engaging experience

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1125688461096974342005-09-02T14:11:00.000-04:002005-09-02T15:14:21.136-04:00

(Not so) Greatest HitsA couple of weeks ago USA Today ran an article called "'Best Of' albums not so great these days", which talked about how the scope of what a greatest hits collection means has changed. As the article mentions, it used to be a milestone, and not only did it it provide a retrospective of work, but often allowed new listeners to experience the artist at their very best. I

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1125589018503355042005-09-01T07:17:00.000-04:002005-09-01T11:37:00.736-04:00

First Day of School 2005Well, the kids are back in school again - and the busy schedules have started. We've already had a soccer practice and piano lesson, and I went to a Cub Scout district meeting last night - but that was good as the speaker was really focused on making things fun and adventurous for the kids. That is something that is really needed when you're trying to fit 10 pounds of

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1125334488716086482005-08-29T07:16:00.000-04:002005-09-01T11:41:47.100-04:00

GamerDad WoesAnyone attempting to visit GamerDad has likely noticed that the site is down, and the forums are largely down as well. It is an unfortunate thing, and Bub is looking for alternate hosting because the reliability has been faltering as of late, and we just can't afford the downtime just as the site is taking off.Update Sept 1st:as of today, the main site for GamerDad has transitioned

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1125082805783333202005-08-26T15:00:00.000-04:002005-09-01T07:17:36.796-04:00

Dinner Party with other peopleMy wife and I got the rare opportunity to go out to dinner together without worrying about the babysitter. Last week was our 13th Anniversary, and on our anniversary day we went with the kids out to Deerfield to a place called 'George's Rocks' which had a nice litte Dinosaur exhibit and a man-made 'mine' for kids to get a bunch of polished rocks. It was fun for an

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1125573312584016612005-08-26T13:00:00.000-04:002005-09-01T07:15:12.586-04:00

On the gaming side, a few things:- I picked up Dungeon Siege II. I didn't like D1 all that much, but got it for the Mac for $5, so it was sort of a throw-away. But after playing the demo and really enjoying it, I took the plunge. I wasn't disappointed - it is a solid 80% game that reminds me of my recent experience with Project: Snowblind. That is, not a stellar game, but just plain solid.-

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1124717702187642222005-08-22T06:25:00.000-04:002005-08-22T09:35:02.203-04:00

More from Cub Scout Camp ... This is my Webelo den ... I'm in the lower left. They were pretty good kids, and we had a good week. I think that it worked out pretty well that my den assignment got messed up, as my older son seemed to have a great time without me leading his den.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1123296912736665512005-08-05T20:59:00.000-04:002005-08-05T22:55:12.743-04:00

Well, I have just completed my latest 'vacation' week - I served as a Den Leader for a group of Webelos at Cub Scout camp. I have been largely out of touch for the week, and it will be nice coming back to reality - though I will miss the kids.More on this later.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1122778409505751602005-07-30T22:23:00.000-04:002005-08-08T07:25:00.266-04:00

Saying Goodbye to ‘My Next Favorite Game’I remember the excitement from April of 2004 as if it were yesterday. A friend of mine from a Star Wars gaming forum had mentioned an upcoming RPG called ‘Dungeon Lords’. The details were pretty sketchy at the time, but the game looked very promising. It reminded me at once of Gothic II and Baldur’s Gate and Jedi Knight II – a few of my all-time

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1122770401668888022005-07-30T19:59:00.000-04:002005-07-30T20:40:01.676-04:00

Yet a few more of my reviews are up.Boiling Point: The Road To Hell for the PC. This is a very interesting and engaging game that is also highly flawed. Too bad, really ...Goldeneye: Rogue Agent for the Nintendo DS... the best handheld FPS controls EVER ... too bad they're attached to such a mediocre game.Pariah for the PC. Another mediocre game, not terrible, just mediocre - oh, and really

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1122580250580778222005-07-28T15:48:00.000-04:002005-07-28T15:50:50.580-04:00

I wanted to share a wonderful picture I got on Independance Day at Disney World of the fireworks from in front of Cinderella's Castle. While nothing can capture the impact of the spectacular 360 degree show (or of the half million other fools crowded in with us!), this is a nice shot.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1122580097018173312005-07-28T13:20:00.000-04:002005-07-28T15:48:17.070-04:00

Game rentals - I did my first one yesterday. As someone who is normally on the cutting edge, I'm way behind on this ... I rented a Scobby Doo GameCube game for the kids a year or so ago when my wife was going away for the weekend, but this is different.Normally I buy everything I'm looking forward to 'new', meaning I generally pay full price. In late 2003, as I got into RPG's, in order to '

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1122408377234769662005-07-26T14:32:00.000-04:002005-07-26T16:06:17.263-04:00

GamerDad has posted a few more of my reviews:Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend for the PC. This is my most scathing and lowest score review yet - 1 star out of 5. I was initiatially wavering between 1 and 2 stars, but after some discussions, it was clear that my words back only one outcome.Restricted Area for the PC ... another disappointment in this year that seems full of them.Coded Arms for the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1122402680023601452005-07-26T10:57:00.000-04:002005-07-26T14:31:20.093-04:00

OK, so I'm back from Disney ... and then had some vacation at my wife's parent's house (some vacation, some helping out) ... and need to add some more stuff here ... next couple of days I'll add stuff - before having another week off (this time for Cub Scout Camp).

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1120229179211850652005-07-01T10:34:00.000-04:002005-07-01T10:46:19.216-04:00

Getting ready to leave on vacation - 4th of July at Disney World! We must be crazy! It will be hot and crowded ... but we're all so very much looking forward to it. See you next week!

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1120228445918017352005-07-01T10:15:00.000-04:002005-07-01T10:34:05.926-04:00

Yet another generic shooter ... this time it is called Pariah. It is a beautiful game, tightly put together, and everything works very well. Yet is reminds me of Rune in that you seem to be on a journey the entire game, then *bam* end boss. The story is pretty weak even though the game feely story-driven. The characters never give you much reason to feel empathy/sympathy/antipathy, and the

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1120227317617246742005-07-01T06:12:00.000-04:002005-07-01T10:15:17.623-04:00

Given my disappointment at Postal 2: Apolcalypse Weekend, and since I needed to have Postal 2 installed to install the expansion, I played through Postal 2 again. I hadn't touched it in quite a while - well, two years to be more precise.Postal 2 is still as I remember it - a pretty generic shooter, with some cool things wrapped around it. It is free and open, there is humor and interesting

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1119376141854355822005-06-21T09:16:00.000-04:002005-06-21T13:49:01.860-04:00

I spent another 'gaming lunch' ... and finished two games. (ok, it ended up ~1.5 hours, but I'm good for it ;) )Restricted Area: I predict that this game will win an award - worst voice acting for whoever did Victoria ... she should just shut up and kill stuff. A cool looking and sounding game that turned quickly into a real yawner.Postal 2 Apocalypse Weekend: The first game wasn't highly

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1119356763845124582005-06-21T06:22:00.000-04:002005-06-21T08:26:03.853-04:00

GamerDad has put my Fate review on the main page today. It is really a fun game, but I have personally run into the 'unlock limit' issue already - I installed on my main gaming laptop (1), and then tried but failed on my work machine due to firewall (2), then installed the low-res version on my little Dell Latitude D400 just to check (3). I went to install on the Dell Inspiron 8500 at home for

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1118837459863269502005-06-15T06:05:00.000-04:002005-06-15T08:10:59.870-04:00

My review for Dungeon Lords is up at GamerDad. (Thanks Dhruin!) I scored it as a 3/5 (60%) and it was a very difficult review to write because:- I had very high hopes for the game as my next Gothic II- I got to know some of the people involved and they are all wonderful- I actually had a blast playing it for >100 hours!But in the end, there were so many glaring problems and deficiencies that

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1118255368006009932005-06-08T14:35:00.000-04:002005-06-08T14:29:28.040-04:00

Another day, and some more new games.Restricted Area is a post-apocolyptic isometric action-RPG, which looks pretty nice, but has been giving me fits on the very first mission! I have started four games - two as Mr. Johnson and two as Victoria - and had to dump all of them. My Victoria missions failed because I died trying to conserve medkits. One Johnson ended the same way, the other I got

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1118071034784701982005-06-06T06:20:00.000-04:002005-06-06T11:17:14.810-04:00

Last week I played a nice little RPG called 'Nox', from 2000. It was a decent game, with reasonable graphics and questing. It was a fun play, about 30 hours in total, with good increase in difficulty as the game goes on. The music and spell effects were well done - it is a game that keeps you playing.I am still torn over the review I submitted for Dungeon Lords. I had some conflicting ideas

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1116871645149788372005-05-23T14:00:00.000-04:002005-05-23T14:08:00.536-04:00

So I finished some games ...Star Wars Episode III for the DS - I finished this weekend, with both Anakin's and Obi-Wan's 'paths', and did some 'skirmishes' - which are basically multiplayer flight matches against bots. A very fun game, best Star Wars handheld game I've played.Dungeon Lords - how do I even begin ... it is really good, yet very problematic. For instance, there is once trigger I had

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1116871187874723442005-05-20T08:41:00.000-04:002005-05-23T13:59:47.920-04:00

We pulled the kids out of school yesterday to see Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I see it as clearly the best of the prequels ... but more than that, I see it on par with 'Star Wars' and 'Empire' .... with two of the great gems of my youth.My older son says it is his favorite, while my younger son says it was his least favorite ... because Anakin turned to the dark side.For me,

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1116270882443356082005-05-16T06:17:00.000-04:002005-05-16T15:20:29.363-04:00

My wife Lisa went on the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this weekend ... she and a friend walked about 40 miles over two days. About 1800 people total participated and they raised millions of dollars! The boys and I didn't get there until Sunday morning (Friday night was 'walker only', and Saturday we were loaded up with Soccer, Baseball, etc...) but it was something - really emotional experience.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1115926962058271752005-05-12T08:39:00.000-04:002005-05-12T15:42:42.106-04:00

I am having a Love / Hate relationship with Dungeon Lords. I am many hours into it, and it *is* quite engrossing ...First off, I like that this game has attempted to have the large open world as found in games like Gothic, rather than the closed maze feel of something like KotOR. It is a beautiful world, very dangerous. No random NPC's who don't belong on the road like in Morrowind, but that

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1115643675505466792005-05-09T06:23:00.000-04:002005-05-09T09:01:15.566-04:00

Very busy weekend - had Theresa up, acting as Danny's Godparent(s), Danny's First Communion on Saturday, and Mother's Day. Really good weekend (except for lousy weather!), but little gaming ...Got my 'belated' birthday gift of Republic Commando, barely started ... still not a priority.Picked up Dungeon Lords, but had very little time to play ... unfortunately it shows considerable evidence of

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1115402480457932482005-05-06T13:52:00.000-04:002005-05-06T14:01:20.473-04:00

Just an update ... Dungeon Lords arrives at EBGames ... I'll grab my copy later this afternoon (something called work gets in the way ...)As for Wizards & Warriors ... I managed to get four good characters so far - 3 warriors and a mage, took them out of town to save, will work on the priest and rogue later ... what a hassle ...

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1115397959002711202005-05-06T06:15:00.001-04:002005-05-06T13:00:40.503-04:00

Yesterday I finally got Wizards & Warriors ... it seems an interesting game, but after I found out that there are random attribute generation stats, I quit and started again. I have to get the 'best' character. I really don't like this type of thing - I know it adds variety to the role playing end, but I want the strongest possible character for a certain trait, not someone hobbled forever due to

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1115053106892389252005-05-02T11:21:00.000-04:002005-05-02T12:58:26.893-04:00

Last Friday I planned to spend most of my time after putting the kids to bed on Guild Wars. But I didn't - I barely played for 30 minutes, and that was it for the weekend. Have I lost interest already? Not really, but it isn't a terribly deep experience. I played it some more, ended up dumped into these co-op missions, and then had to go.That definitely hit me - we got dumped into a group vs.

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1114626739748004262005-04-27T14:00:00.000-04:002005-04-27T14:32:19.750-04:00

Guild Wars ... I was iffy on it, but here I am on 'Day of Release', and I'm a level 2 Elementalist. It is fun so far, but I wonder how long I can play solo before I get into serious trouble ...

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1114198482771937782005-04-22T15:33:00.000-04:002005-04-22T15:34:42.773-04:00

I finished LEGO Star Wars on the GBA the other day and have been noodling around in Free Play mode since then. It is telling that I didn't immediately repeat areas I loved in Free Play, because there was only 'like', not 'love' ... unlike in the PC version.I'm writing the review now ...

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1114195494570506152005-04-22T11:47:00.000-04:002005-04-22T14:44:54.570-04:00

Medal of Honor Pacific Assault?!?!? I had already forgotten this ... now my review is up at GamerDad

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649606.post-1114081222324274232005-04-21T06:55:00.000-04:002005-04-21T07:00:22.326-04:00

Heretic Kingdoms: The InquisitionWell, my review is up at GamerDad (4/5 stars) for this nice little game. It was just released in the US, but I got it late last year when Merscom went direct ship for online ordering. It was well worth it.At the same time, Jay Powell from Merscom is at IGN's RPGVault in the Soapbox feature. He talks about smaller games and the emergence of budget titles that

txa1265 (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03061568790581429107noreply@blogger.com0