Video of the Week

This is one of the more clever things I’ve witnessed this week…

FreeRice.com

     Don’t get me wrong, I love melting my brain in front of the TV, but sometimes you just have to keep up on your vocabulary. That’s where Free Rice comes in. Free Rice offers, get this free, multiple choice trivia questions so you can keep up on your sesquipedal lexicon (look it up). But wait it gets much better! For every word you get right 20 grains of rice are donated to fight world hunger. So if you’re studying for a test or just plain bored stop by freerice.com and give from the comfort of your own home.

E3 ’08

     Anyone who has even just a slight interest in technology knows about E3, the week long convention taking place right now, and because I have an interest in xbox (among other things) I’ll write a short overview of Microsoft’s fantastic presentation.

    Microsoft started out strong with several new title arriving on the xbox 360 over the next year. Included were: Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Halo Wars, and Fable3. All of these games look excellent and should give Microsoft the edge over Sony this year in terms of Console sales. These announcements are small compared to the three major topics of the show. The first mentioned was a new partnership with Netflix that essentially doubles the amount of available media on the xboxlive marketplace. Xbox live members with a Netflix account will now be able to watch movies on their consoles without the need to wait 1 business day for it to arrive in the mail (aren’t we impatient).

     The second major announcement was an update of xboxlive and the dashboard. This new feature would allow all members of live to create their own avatar to represent their profile. A group of up to eight friends would then be ableto stay in the same party while moving seamlessly between sharing pictures, watching movies, playing games, etc. This is Microsoft next innovation in a field that they already largely dominate.

     Finally the announcement that Microsoft saved until the end of the show. Final Fantasy XIII will be coming to the xbox360, one of several titles that have already made the switch. Even though I’m not the biggest FF fan in the world I still enjoy the series and think this will expand the diversity of people who own 360′s.

     Microsoft came out of the gates strong on Monday and gave Sony a good slap in the face. They made it very apparent that the xbox is the console to buy, and at least in my opinion the have my vote.

Tips for COD4 noobs (*cough* GurnB *cough*)

     I have seen several great CoD4 players, unfortunately very few of them are on my friens list. That is why I’m going to take ten minutes to describe the most important things to remember when playing online. The most important thing to remember is that it is just a game! A negative k/d ratio really isn’t all that important. I’ve seen many a player who have disregarded the objective of the game merely to pad their stats. Trust me, the match bonus at the end of a sabotage game, if you win, more than makes up for the experience you would have gained had you played it like a team deathmatch game. How do you win sabotage? Play as a team and plant the bomb.

     The next problem I’d like to address is the create-a-class feature. This is a great tool for gaining the edge on your opponent. Here are some top tips for making your classes suit your needs… 

1. Always use stopping power.
2. Don’t stick with a weapon that you have already completed the challenges for.
3. Last Stand is far more effective than martyrdom.

About number 3, the thing I’ve come to love about Last Stand is that you can still capture domination flags while still in this mode. The rest of the advantages are fairly obvious such as the ability to kill your assailent from a longer range.

My final tips would be to look at your radar as often as you look down your sight. You would be surprised how often you can sneak behind an enemy spawn point w/o using uav jammer. Lastly, always analyze your kill cam, not only can you figure out your attacker’s location, but you can also figure out new ways to play the maps. Thanks for your kind patronage! I hope you pick up on some of these tips and start having some positive games.

My 2 cents…

    I have taken quite a liking to this basic programming stuff. I’ve been running the guide, SciTE, and Command Prompt simultaneously and have made some fantastic progress. What really piqued my interest is how similar it is to actually learning a new spoken language. It requires you to think outside the box in order to put the commands together to instruct the computer to perform even the most basic of tasks. (It’s also nice because it’s accessible at both houses…)

Hobby Search

     As much as I try to deny it, it takes more than just xbox to create a well-rounded life. That’s why I’ve decided to search for a constructive hobby to keep me busy until school is back in session (and maybe longer). Both of my Dads work with computers, and I have developed  an interest in them as well so that would seem the logical place to start. Several months ago my biological father showed me a programing language called Ruby (try it in your browser here =>http://tryruby.hobix.com/) so I’ll give that a try and update whenever I’ve got a fresh piece of news for my six fans to chew on. I figure I have the perfect setup and the ideal supporting cast to make this a possible hit.

Updates:

• Downloaded Ruby
• Reading the Manual
• Found (and is currently reading) a great manual to beginners programing w/Ruby =>http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/?Chapter=02
• Is capable of writing very basic programs and is proud of it!

The Quest for 10,000 Gamerscore

     Ever since I first plugged my 360 into the TV I knew that I would never have my life back. I have been an “Achievement Whore” for quite some time now. As of today I have 9600 gamerscore with full intentions of taking it all the way to 10k. I have very few friends who have achieved this task, but to me this seems like the ultimate sign of gamer maturity and the end of n00bdom. Now for a short monologue about the achievement system…

     The achievement/gamerscore system exclusively on the xbox360 has taken gaming to a new level. On the original xbox, if I managed to beat Halo2 on legendary all I was rewarded with was a “yea right” from my friends. This system allows players the ultimate ragging rights by being able to give their friends tangible proof that they have accomplished impressive tasks in their games. A players gamerscore also gives his opponents an idea of the particular gamer’s style (is he hardcore/a casual player etc.). That is, simply put, absolutely brilliant. I’ve found that I have no desire to play through COD4 on the PS3, because what would be the point? No one would know except myself! But on the xbox all 12,000,000+ members can tell what I’ve spent countless hours of my life doing. The final reason that makes gamerscore fantastic is that it completely changes the idea of replay value. On most games, several achievements can be unlocked upon the completion of the campaign, but the meat of the achievements remain out-of-reach until a player goes back and plays the game on a deeper level. I never even attempted Halo 1 or 2 on legendary because I had no reason to, the story was the same and it was easier on normal.  This system, however, encourages players to go back and collect certain unlockables and give the online play a try. That is why for however long it takes I will continue to play not just for enjoyment but for the achievements. For me at least, the pride from gaining an achievement is equal to the joy of just playing for fun.

My latest accomplishment..

BEATING THE GUITAR TOUR ON ROCK BAND ON EXPERT (Special thanks to “RockBandFAQ” on youtube)

Hello and Welcome

     Welcome to the only place for your daily man-cave fix. For those of you that are out of the know, the mancave is our basement where we spend most of our waking ours playing xbox360, making music, and working with computers.  The man-cave may not be the most glamorous setting to do what we do, but we love it anyway. Enjoy!