Players Will Be Required to Pay for Xbox One Features

Xbox One console

Was there ever any doubt that Microsoft would go this route?  Not in my mind.  Why?  Simple, because they already do this.  A story reported on today from BBC News mentions that the Xbox One will require the user/player to subscribe to a Live Gold account in order to utilize some functions of the new Xbox One.  Is this really that much of a change?  Nope.

Long story short, here is the deal.  In order to use the following functions, players must be an Xbox Live Gold account subscriber.  Items marked *Currently Required indicates Xbox 360 features that currenly requires a Gold subscriptions well.

-Multiplayer Gaming *Currently Required
-Netflix (or other video streaming services) *Currently Required
-Matchmaking for Online Games (considered a function of online play) *Currently Required
-OneGuide (think of a recommendation service for online media content)
-Access to communicate via Skype.

I don't particularly see anything worthy of arguing about int his list.  As it stands, it doesn't appear that all that much will change between current Live Gold accounts and current-gen Live Gold accounts.  This doesn't mean that changes will not pop up elsewhere, it just means there isn't a whole lot that us current-gen gamers can argue about.

And with Sony also starting to charge for online access and similar features on the PS4, there goes the excuse that paying for online on an Xbox console is more expensive.  Looks like we're all on a level playing field now.  Like it or not.

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Steam is now a Native Linux application

That's right, you read that right. Valve has released it Steam client as a native Linux application. I have installed it on my Ubuntu 12.10 box and can confirm that it does indeed work. And is pretty much just as easy to install as it is on any Windows machine.

If you are using Ubuntu then be sure to check the Software Center that is built into Ubuntu to download and install it.  I have yet to try a game as I am currently in the process of downloading Counter Strike: Source for testing. To be fair I am also downloading CS:S on my Windows box as well for comparison purposes.

So stay tuned and I will try to report back as to how the Linux version runs when compared to it's Windows counterpart.

In the meantime Steam is running a sale which features some pretty awesome games. I picked up Counter Strike: Source for $5 and Half-Life for $2.49. And that's is just a couple of the great games that are on sale. That sale is supposed to run through Feb. 21st and the games that are purchased are unlocked on your Steam account for any platform that is officially supported. Meaning if you buy a game that runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac then you get access to all the on your Steam aaccount. So check it out:

http://store.steampowered.com

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Retro Game Curator on YouTube is Now Live!

Well, you can tell we got snow here in my area today.  Why?  Because I was finally able to get some time to sit down and do some recording!  As mentioned in a previous post, we have a welcome addition to the TechieSmarts network of websites/YouTube Channels!  It goes by the name of: Retro Game Curator.

There is also an associated blog as well.  Check out: http://retrogamecurator.blogspot.com where we have a growing selection of posts covering topics concerning old school gaming, reviews, news, and yes; links to all of our video content (which will be growing soon).

If you follow me on Twitter, keep an eye out for posts with the hashtag:
#RetroGameCurator as that tag will designate everything concerning that site.

So be sure you drop by and show us some love guys!

Happy surfing!

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Retro Game Curator coming to the TechieSmarts Network!

Do you love games?  Do you love old school games?  If you answered yes to either of those, then be sure to checkout a new site to the TechieSmarts network: Retro Game Curator!  Over at the Retro Game Curator we will cover news and reviews as each pertains to Retro and Vintage style gaming.  And some pretty cool YouTube content as well.  There is a growing generation of gamers today that have not experienced some of gaming history's greatest games.  And our goal is to showcase some of those games and inform younger gamers of what they have missed.

And who knows, maybe inspire someone to be a fellow game collector as well.

Stay tuned!

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Guild Wars 2 up for PreOrder Now!

This week was a big week especially for gamers!  Not quite sure what I am hinting at?  Let me expound, this week pre-sales started for the much anticipated Guild Wars 2!  This game has been a long time in the making and ArenaNet has been teasing those of us who cut our teeth on the first Guild Wars with screens and videos and even beta testing for some (but unfortunately no beta testing for me).  So how much is it? What do you get for preordering? Is there a Collector's Edition?  And when does it hit the street?

Let's break it down.  For $59.99 you can preorder the standard game.  All preorder customers get the following perks:
-Beta Access to ALL GW2 beta events.
-A Three Day Headstart Access when the game releases.
-The Hero's Band ingame item.

For $79.99 Digital Deluxe Edition you get the above three perks and:
-The game.
-Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill (ingame).
-Miniature Rytlock pet (ingame).
-Golem Bank (lasts for 5 days - ingame).
-Chalice of Glory (earns extra Glory and it a one time use item - ingame).
-Tome of Influence (guild stuff - ingame).

And the ubersweet Collector's Edition ($149.99) will include all of the above goodies, perks, and ingame items, as well as:
-10 inch Rytlock figurine.
-Book: "Making of Guild Wars 2"
-Custom Art Frame
-Art Portfolio and 5 Art Prints
-Best of Guild Wars 2 Sountrack CD

Sounds pretty freaking sweet!  As an avid fan of the original Guild Wars, I can honestly say I have been awaiting the arrival of it's sequel for some time now.  And I have a renewed desire to jump back in the original and try to finally fill up my Hall of Monuments (which is a little on the bare side).

Here's the kicker, there still isn't an official release date other than they are aiming for a 2012 release.  I have been burned in the past on game preorders.  So it is unlikely that I will partake of the preorder process.  However, seeing the preorders being opened up is huge news for a game that we have waited on for so long now.

So if preordering is up your alley be sure to swing by their website: https://buy.guildwars2.com/

Checkout the trailer as well:

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Review: Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch

A couple of weeks ago I managed to get my hands on a Samsung Galaxy S2.  And in short, it has to be one of my favorite devices yet.  I'm using the Sprint model which is dubbed the 'Epic 4G Touch' surname.  I have had my hands all over this phone for the past 2 weeks and it continues to get more and more awesome all the time.







Let's cover some of the phone's specs right quick:
- Dual-Core 1.2GHz processor
- 4.52" Super AMOLED Plus screen
- 8 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front facing camera
- Voice Talk by Vlingo
- Expandable Storage up to 32GB via MicroSD card
- 16GB of onoard storage
- Mobile Hotspot Feature
- 3G/4G compatible where speeds are available
- WiFi built-in

So you can see from the specs that this phone packs some serious punch under the hood.  But how does it perform?  In a nutshell, smooth as can be.  I have experienced very little to no lag from this device.  And lag is one thing I have noticed in both my Acer Iconia a500 Honeycomb Tablet and my wife's HTC Evo 4G.  Usually the lag on those devices occurs between screen transitions from Applications Menu to Home Screen or when loading up a resource heavy game.  But none of that has been evident thus far in my Galaxy S2.

Samsung packs this phone with the TouchWiz UI overtop Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) by default.  This means we get some pretty useful shortcuts and a nice, clean looking User Interface.  Some of the shortcuts are pretty awesome too.  The one I especially like (since I shuffle app shortcuts all over the place) is the tilt to move feature.  Simply tap and hold an app shortcut and tilt your phone to cycle through the available home screens.  It works flawlessly.  If you're not a widget fan, you'll have some work to do since by default there are numerous widgets running onscreen from the first power on.

Namely, you will see the clock and weather widget on the main home screen.  If you scroll to the left one screen you will see a Driving/Handsfree Widget and and a nice looking AP News widget.  If you scroll to the right one screen from the Home Screen you will have the Google Search Widget.  This being the Spring version of the phone it does come with some bloatware from Sprint.  In the form of: Spring TV, Sprint Zone, Nascar, Sprint Radio, etc.

The phone does come with a cool app named Kies Air.  In short it lets you control the phone's contents from a computer's web browser (as long as your computer and phone are on the same WiFi network.  The layout is nice and allows you to see pretty much everything you have on your phone from pictures to the most recent text messages all within your web browser.  That being said, I could play music back but had issues copying files through the network from the PC to the Phone.  Maybe I was doing something wrong.  Still, not a deal breaker for me as I could care less about this feature overall.

The default social networking app is 'SocialHub'.  I had some issues with SocialHub (just being in the form of having to track down settings and options from where I felt they should logically be placed).  Still, not a big deal as I ditched SocialHub for the Plume and Facebook apps for Android anyways.  Another great app that comes loaded on the phone is Polaris Office. And it appears to be the full version of the app as well which includes Windows format compatibility.  So that is a nice inclusion as well.

One of the big topics that is discussed with every Android device is battery life.  And most of the time this is one of the biggest complaints from Android user's.  I can honestly say that my battery life with the Galaxy S2 is pretty good.  In short, carrying it around during the day (from an 8 to 5 workday) my phone doesn't outright die halfway through the day.  Usually when I get home in the evenings around 5:00p or so it is down to about 40% life left.  Which is pretty good in my opinion.  Especially when my wife's HTC Evo 4G tends to get something like 4.5 to 5 hours of life from a full charge.

With that being said, I'm also running it with 4G turned off (we have no 4G in my area yet) and the WiFi and Bluetooth radios turned off as well.  Surfing the web on WiFi around the house causes the battery to discharge much faster.  But still it is fine for casual use or updating a Facebook status.

The camera is outstanding and does a great job.  In low-light areas the pictures still look as long as the flash is turned on.  And the flash is freakin' bright too.  So, if you're into mobile photography with your smartphone you'll not be disappointed.

One last thing to touch on is the hands-free features.  The hands-free/voice recognition features are powered by Vlingo.  Vlingo has been around for a while and can be thought of as an app similar to Apple's Siri in functionality.  And it is pretty good.  Out of the box you can have it read your text messages and send text messages for you.  It can do web searches and pull up GPS info for you as well.  All powered from your voice.  If using a Bluetooth headset it is setup so if you say: "Galaxy Hi" it will wake the phone and allow your voice input to use the phone.  Pretty awesome.

I had only one issue with the phone, and it was more with the software and with Facebook than with the device itself.  If you sign in to Facebook for Android, you're contact list will compile all of your Facebook friends info into your Contacts List.  I didn't like this feature and quickly found an easy way to turn it off in the settings.  Once again, it was an easy fix and not that big of a deal.

I could go on and on all afternoon about how awesome this device is.  I mean, I essentially replaced my iPod Touch with this device because it everything my iTouch did in terms of music and podcasts, not to mention Netflix and Crackle run great on it.  And gaming is jaw dropping on this device.  If you are looking for a great Android phone, without a doubt I would highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy S2.  The great thing about this device is that Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have their own version of the Galaxy S2.  So if you're on one of these services you can have a go at the S2 yourself (sorry Verizon customers).

Easily this phone gets a 5 star/5 star score!

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APB: Reloaded Has A Live Action Trailer

Remember a title from a while back that took the media by storm as a massively multiplayer game in the same vein as Grand Theft Auto.  This game was titled: "APB: All Points Bulletin".  Initially this game was released on the PC and the devs where considering a console version.  The game was short lived though due to faults of it's own merits (from gameplay to game modes disappoints were huge).  The game just couldn't deliver what fans and industry watchers had hoped it would.  In short, the game launched in June 2010 and closed down in September 2010.  Yep, short lived alright.

After bouncing around in limbo for a little while, GamersFirst picked it up and it was released by Reloaded Productions.  If you aren't familiar with GamersFirst they are a MMO gaming company that carves their business into the Free-to-Play market of MMO titles.  Titles under their label include: War Rock, Knight Online, Taikodom, Sword 2, and most recently Fallen Earth (out of which I can personally attest that War Rock and Fallen Earth are great games). With this new development in the game's brief lifespan there was hope once more.

The game went into Open Beta in May 2011 under the title: "APB: Reloaded".  One of the big positives this game has going for it is character customization.  This was one of the few things it's original incarnation did right.  And hopefully it will roll over to this version as well.  So with the news that the game is finally making it's way back to life, GamersFirst has rolled out a Live Action Trailer.  Honestly, I love watching these Live Action Trailers.  Sometimes they suck, sometimes they are awesome.  Really it's a crap shoot and one I have no way of being able to predict prior to watching it.  This trailer is pretty unique in that it shows the different character customizations in a live action form.  And it is an interesting trailer (so it definitely doesn't suck).

However, it is not for the faint of heart and should be for mature audiences only as it depicts scenes of graphic violence.  It is kind of ironic that this trailer rolls out so close to the release of 'Saints Row: The Third', don't you think?




If you're interested in checking out the game swing by their website:http://www.gamersfirst.com/apb/?fbid=wmjBHrVWu3DAnd if you'd like to see other games from GamersFirst visit:http://www.gamersfirst.com/

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Steam Users Beware!

On Thursday, November 10th; Valve announced that their Steam forums had been compromised.  In an initial release from Mr. Gabe Newell it was stated that the intrusion "went beyond the forums".  But it is unclear how far beyond the forums this attack managed to go.  Valve is saying that there is no evidence that any personal data or credit card information was harvested or stolen and they are continuing the investigation.

If you have used Steam (or it's forums) you'll know there is a separate login for the forums which requires a separate password.  Of course this is assuming you have theoretically passed "Online Security 101" and are not using the exact same password as you do for your Steam purchases (if so you're billing info could very well be at risk).  One of the first recommendations of online safeguarding is to not use the same password for everything you do online.  Why?  Simple, if that password is compromised it then becomes very easy for the rest of your online dealings to be compromised too.

Valve will be resetting forum passwords and urging user's to update their passwords in general.  In short, this is probably a good rule of thumb for anyone using Steam.  Regardless whether you are actually at risk or not. Here are two things to help:
- Change your password for both Steam Forums and your overall Steam Account.
- Keep watch on whatever method of billing you have setup for Steam purchases to be on the safe side.

I think it is a shame that yet another game service has been compromised.  I'll be the first to admit that it is probably impossible for any service to be 100% bulletproof when it comes to security.  And when it comes right down to it, the fact of the matter is that our online security as customer's lies at fault with ourselves.  Sad but true.  How can customer's hold a particular service to blame for security issues when customer's are using weak passwords, not changing passwords regularly, and flat out putting themselves at risk?

In short, we can't.

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Star Legends Chrome Store

A while back I did a review of an awesome MMO for Android and iOS devices.  The app reviewed was that of 'Star Legends: The BlackStar Chronicles' link.  It is an awesome game and it's free in the Android Market.

It was announced this past week that this game will be making it's way to the Chrome App Store.  Meaning, if you run Google's Chrome Web Browser; then you're in for a treat.  This is a great game for the casual gamer.  And yet it is still an MMO.  As MMO titles typically have the stigma that they have the ability to take over your life.  All the while, if you are one who likes to completely get sucked into a game, you'll find hours of fun to be had in Star Legends.

So what is such a big deal with this game hitting the Chrome App Store?  Easily put, the game allows cross platform play.  Meaning you can play against people using mobile devices running the game (Android or iOS) as well as other gamer's using the Chrome App version.  This in itself is a huge step and if successful maybe other mobile developers will start thinking along the same lines as SpaceTime Studios.

And this is what you can look forward to:


To read how the app played via my review, visit:Star Legends Review

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Batman Arkham City's Official Launch Trailer!

If there is one game that has been highly anticipated, than this has to be it.  Batman Arkham City is due for release in just a few days.  And it looks like this title will definitely trump it's already awesome precursor: Batman: Arkham Asylum.  In the first game from the Arkham series gamer's were treated to a version of 'game Batman' that we had never seen before.  Rocksteady managed to blend the detective Batman with the action Batman almost to perfection.  And it made for an outstanding game.

With Batman Arkham City, it seems as though old enemies are even making a cameo.  In the trailer we see not only Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and Hugo Strange.  But we also see appearances by Poison Ivy and Bane.  And in one scene of the trailer we even see what looks like Batman fighting alongside Bane?!  Overall, this game looks absolutely insane!  And I already have a bunch of questions, like how did Bane survive getting thrown into the bay under the Batmobile in Arkham Asylum?  How did the Joker survive his mutation, even though he looks like crap?  And better yet, how will Batman get out of this one?

Honestly, when I heard the premise for this game I almost shuddered.  And I am guilty of thinking, 'Well it was good while it lasted...' when thinking of how awesome the first game was.  I mean, the thought of a big portion of Gotham being turned into a giant prison run by inmates just didn't seem to strike the right cords with me.  However, now that we can see some of it in action.  It looks awesome!  If you haven't seen the official launch trailer yet, take a gander:

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Doom shows up in id Software's Rage!

Just a couple of days ago we posted a quick note about id Software giving gamer's a little throwback to old school games by including a Wolfenstein 3D room (see link).  Well, as expected by many, news has broken that there is a Doom room as well!  Be sure to watch the YouTube video below by YouTuber: XCVii007r1


If you remember the Wolfenstein 3D room contained an amulet from the original game that you could collect.  In the Doom room, you'll find a 'Space Marine bobblehead' figure.  The inclusion of things like this in games are genius ideas.  What better way to introduce your companies games to the folks who are to young to remember those old schoold PC game, but are now getting into these more mature games made by older developers.  It's almost like finding a timeline of subject matter within the game.  Kudos id Software!

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PS3 Game Showdown!

The last several weeks have been pretty eventful in our house as far as my PS3 has been involved.  And in a good way.  As part of Sony's "Welcome Back" package I downloaded "Little Big Planet" and "inFamous".  And yesterday I picked up the much anticipated "Duke Nukem Forever".

So what is my take on my recent game selections?  "Little Big Planet" is a neat and addictive game.  But it is obviously targeted more towards the casual game audience.  Which is great for those times you just want to get a few minutes of gameplay squeezed into your busy life.  I like how you can buddy up with other players and follow each other around to other "planets" and continue the game together.  However, it is obvious that the developers of "Little Big Planet" are hoping their audience will shell out their hard earned cash for add-ons.  Some of the most popular add-ons apparently being new skins and costume pieces for Sackboy.  All in all, if you have young gamers in the house, this is the game for them.

"inFamous" was my second free selection once the Playstation Store came back online.  And I must say that I am happy I picked this title.  It's a fun take on the whole sandbox gameplay mechanic.  The easiest way to describe it would be to think of "GTA" or "Saints Row" meets a newfound super human.  You spend a lot of time bouncing around the city fighting the 'Reapers' (basically mutated junkies) and completing missions to discover your characters background and story.  I would have actually paid for this game and I actually look forward to checking out it's sequel once I have completed this one.  Did I mention you also get to control whether you play as an evil character or a good one...So many decisions.

And my most recent purchase is "Duke Nukem Forever".  I'm actually  not going to mention much about "DNF" in this post due to it needing it's own review in and of itself.  In short, the game is awesome as long as you keep in mind the source material.  If you ever played "Duke 3D" back in the day, you should be pleased.  And by the way, if I read one more Twitter post or forum comment that reads: 'this game is nothing like Duke 64 and therefore sucks' or 'Duke's first game which debuted on the n64 was way better, I want my money back' I will probably scream.  And yes, those are some of the actual comments I have found on other sites in response to this game.  For those less cultured in videogame history of legendary characters, Duke goes way back before the Nintendo 64 port and started out as a 2D platformer... Ok, enough of that, subject settled.

Look for my comprehensive review of "Duke Nukem Forever" to post in the next day or so.  In the meantime look for Duke's demo on PC and Xbox 360 which was released this week for everybody.

Happy Surfing!

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E3 News: Nintendo's Wii U

So it's E3 time again.  And most recently some of the hottest news to roll out of the convention is the breaking details of Nintendo's newest console due out in 2012.  The Wii U is their latest offering.  So what is it exactly?  I guess the easiest way to describe it would be a slicker looking version of the current Wii console.

So what's under the hood:
-Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i.
-Compatible with HDMI, Composite and S-video cables (yes, we are getting HDMI this time).
-Internal Flash Memory for storage, but will also support SD Cards and external USB Hard Drives.
-4 USB 2.0 slots and an IBM Multi Core Processor.

The console will of course use a new proprietary disc format for the Wii U games (still a 12 inch optical disc).  But will also support the Wii disc format as well allowing for backwards compatibility for Wii games and peripherals.  Not a bad idea.

One of the most notable features of the new Wii U is of course the controller.  The Wii U will allow up to 4 Wii Remotes/Wii Remote Plus controllers to be used at a time.  Nintendo is also keeping backwards compatibility for the previous Wii remotes (all remotes/classic controllers/nunchucks and Wii Balance Board) are compatible.  However, the newest trick is the 'New Controller'.  The 'New Controller' looks to incorporate all kinds of technologies: remember the Wii Speak accessory for voice chat, stylus (Nintendo DS), and a crazy looking controller (N64).  It all sounds so familiar, but looks so new.

The 'New Controller' is essentially a tablet.  Call this a gimmick or call it 'revolutionary' not so sure yet.  I like the idea.  However, it looks like a large, single screen, Nintendo DS.  So what does it do?
The 'New Controller' contains:
-6.9 inch, 16:9 ratio touch screen
-Traditional D-Pad (on left side of screen) and A/B/X/Y (right side of the screen).
-2 Analog Circle Pads
-L/R and ZL/ZR buttons
-Microphone and Front Facing Camera
-Gyroscope and Accelerometer
-Stereo Speakers
-Sensor Strip
-Stylus and Rumble features

So basically it's a tablet with game controls built into it.  Sounds kind of gimmicky to me.  At least until I watch the release video.  The release video shows a guy playing a Super Mario game on the tv.  His friend walks into the room and makes a comment about watching some baseball and the player simply pauses the game, his friend turns on his baseball game broadcast and the player picks up his 'New Controller' which is now displaying the Super Mario game right where he left off.

They also show someone sketching a picture of Link using the stylus for those of you who are more artistically gifted.  One of the neatest features I saw was the girl playing golf.  She lays the 'New Controller' on the floor and stands over it with a Wii Remote.  The camera looks down ontop of the 'New Controller' where you can see the golf ball sitting in the dirt.  She swings the Wii Remote and hits the gof ball which seamlessly leaps from it's rest on the 'New Controller' screen and off into the games 'sky' on the television.  You see the dirt cloud fly up on the 'New Controller' screen and it trails right onto the gameplay on the television.  Pretty awesome.

They also highlight other uses for the 'New Controller' by teasing a Zelda game (which looks amazing), but it allows you to see Link's inventory screen and show video from the game on the controller.  I can imagine developers will have endless possibilities of things they can use this other screen for.  Hopefully to clear up some screen real estate on the television screen.

Some of the other features allow you to push video from the 'New Controller' to the television to show off video clips and some rather cumbersome looking web surfing.  I can forsee the peripheral makers having a field day with this new control scheme.  Especially when you walk through any major retail store now and see all sorts of plastic gun, shield, sword, and gold club attachments for the Wii Remote.  I'm sure Nintendo will run with this much like they did with the Wii.  My only fear is what the cost of one of these 'New Controller' units will cost the consumer.  After all, if the 'New Controller' is outrageously expensive I foresee it having a slow adoption rate amongst potential customers.  But if Nintendo can keep the price point down low enough, I'm sure they'll be riding the Wii coat tails even longer.  On another note, Nintendo are you really going to name your newest controller the 'New Controller' at least get a little creative why not something catchy like the 'NintenTab' or 'Wii Universal Remote' or something.

So sit back and enjoy the release video, I know I did.  And will continue to keep an eye on the Wii U's development in the near future.  Happy Surfing!





*Wii U and all components therein are property of Nintendo.*Release trailer is via IGN's Youtube Channel.

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Team Fortress 2 Fun!

Hi,
Just a quick note, this afternoon I was playing a little Team Fortress 2.  Usually I stick to the stock maps (2Fort, Turbine, SawMill, etc.).  I usually don't deviate too much into community made maps (of course I haven't played TF2 in a while anyways).  But this afternoon I figured I'd give another map a try.  When I loaded up the game (PC Version) I clicked on 'Find Servers' and scrolled down to the bottom of the list and I found a handful of people playing a map called '2Fort-2012'.  This picked my curiousity.

After jumping into the map, I immediately loved it.  I'm a big fan of the original 2Fort map, and I must be honest.  I haven't played any of the custom 2Fort maps.  But this one was fun.  As you can see from the pic above the maker(s) of the map did quite a bit to change it up.  The signature covered bridge from the original 2Fort has been twisted sideways.  But that's not all.  They also killed the lights on much of the map making it a lot fun to play as a Spy.  The usual load of Snipers and Scouts are still present because the map is in fact identical to the layout of the original 2Fort map.

The Hayroom has a Spy lodged in the floor from where a cross beam from the ceiling has fallen on him.  There are also casualties of the '2012' disaster all over the map.  From dead medics and engineers outside the Intelligence rooms on each side, but also a Medic impaled on a telephone pole as well.  There are also scenes of destruction from within the hallways of each base.  There is now debris littered about the area and a couple nooks and hiding places that have been blown away during the disaster.

While playing this map, I heard a lot of people in the game complaining about the level's darkness and the debris causing issues with moving around the map.  Personally, I didn't experience any of that.  The map is dark for a reason (to set the mood) and the overall redesign was a much needed change from the same-old-same-old.  If you play TF2, check it out sometime!

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My First Gameplay Footage Uploaded to Youtube Today!

As a result of being bored last night, I started playing around with FRAPS ( an awesome screen recording tool).  This afternoon I decided to play some more 'Crysis: Warhead'; which I have been trying desperately to finish so I can move on to another game guilt free.  And while playing with FRAPS active I caught a bug in the game purely by accident and at the time I had just started recording with FRAPS.



I located this bug during the Mission 5: Below the Thunder;  towards the end of the 'Find The Loading Terminal' assignment.  One of the last KPA encampments you encounter before starting down the Terminal corridor (this encampment is right at the end of the mine/cave you are in.  There are several conveyor belts around this area and heavy mining equipment.  There is also a small weapons cache right in the middle of this room (during the clip I am standing right behind the weapons cache.  If you take 2 to 3 steps to the right of this spot, you'll fall through the floor.  After falling through it, I went back to verify that there is floor there, and there is.  But it isn't solid.  The second time ended much the same way.

I'm having a blast playing with FRAPS, and I look forward to bringing a review shortly (after I've had time to make some more video clips to get the feel for the program).  Enjoy!

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