http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/ An overclocking forum devoted to maximizing the performance of graphics cards, CPUs, motherboards, RAM and everything else found inside your computer case. en Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:01:54 GMT vBulletin 1 http://static.overclock.net/images/oc/misc/rss.jpg http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/ http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1503-currently-playing-update-11-24-2009.html Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:18:23 GMT Small update, just adding one game. With all the crazy hoopla about CoD4:MW2 these days, I figured I should at least try to figure out what the big frickin deal is. In that past I have tended not to like "real combat" shooters, I like to kill aliens (Halo) and demons (Doom). I tried some WW2 games (Medal of Honor, I think) back when the genre wasn't so tired as to be narcoleptic...and was not impressed. I even tried the CoD3 demo available on Xbox Live...*yawn* But I realized that I did enjoy the "real" part of Crysis more than the "alien" part...so hey, I'm game to give CoD4 a try considering it's not a WW2 game.

So I bought a used copy of CoD4:MW off of someone here on OCN. I'm about five or six mission in so far...still not sold yet. The opening mission was highly cinematic, which was really cool. But the gameplay is just so different than anything I'm used to that's just hard to "get it". And I've got to tell you, I'm getting pretty tired of being blown up by grenades that I don't even see coming. That may be "realistic", but it's not FUN. Now I do think I'm finally climbing the learning curve for this type of game enough to enjoy it a little more, we'll see how it goes.

On a side note, I finished Halo:ODST on Hard the other day. Trying to decide whether to start another campaign on Legendary now, or let it sit for a while and play some other stuff.


Updated list:

• Call of Duty 4 (PC)
• Galactic Civilizations II (PC)
• Mafia Wars (Facebook)
• Halo 3:ODST (X360)
• Rock Band: Metallica (X360)
• Dead Rising (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1503-currently-playing-update-11-24-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1484-currently-playing-update-11-12-2009.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:08:37 GMT I don't usually update so soon, it's only been a week since my last post. But what the heck...

As expected, I dropped Rock Band: Beatles off the list. I haven't played it for a few weeks now. It doesn't help that what I want to play next is the drums, but my two-year son seems to have lost my drumsticks somewhere... I did start playing GH:Metallica again, figured I would at least finish the Expert bass career since I was about 2/3 through it before I burned out.

Also, feeling that I simply must have a PC game on the list, I fired up Galactic Civilizations II. Still learning the game, it's complex. Not sure I like it as much as Civilization 4, but I definitely like it in general.


Updated list:

• Galactic Civilizations II (PC)
• Mafia Wars (Facebook)
• Halo 3:ODST (X360)
• Rock Band: Metallica (X360)
• Dead Rising (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1484-currently-playing-update-11-12-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1467-currently-playing-update-11-1-2009.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:49:11 GMT Minor changes to the list since last time.

I'm giving up on Oblivion. I wisely finished up the main quest before my Windows 7 upgrade, for fear of problems with the slightly "older" game on the new platform. Turns out those fears had merit, I'm experiencing random mouse-freeze/game-hang issues after no more than a few minutes of play time. Probably not Oblivion's fault per se, but I don't really feel like investigating too deeply...I finished the main quest, logged over 70 hours of play time, and there's not that much more I really wanted to do. So call it a night for Oblivion.

Now here's the sad, sad confession: I started playing Mafia Wars this weekend on Facebook. After months of rejecting "join" requests from family and friends, I finally gave in (partly to see how people are making money off of it, so maybe I can copy their business model somehow!) It's barely a "game" by how I normally judge games, but I have found myself doing this more than "real" games over the weekend; so I think it makes sense to list it. It does contain a lot of the addictive "carrot" features present in good MMOs, it's definitely keeping me coming back. I expect to burn out quickly, but it's still a good time for now.

I haven't played Dead Rising recently, I got almost to the end but missed a deadline, and *poof*, the "true ending" was lost to me. So I was frustrated and put it away. I intend to get back into it today. Rock Band Beatles is still on there for now too, but it's winding down...will probably drop off in the near future.


Updated list:

• Mafia Wars (Facebook)
• Halo 3:ODST (X360)
• Rock Band: Beatles (X360)
• Dead Rising (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1467-currently-playing-update-11-1-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1465-fixed-problem-already-hurray.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:30:23 GMT I was a little quick on the draw blaming Premire Elements there. After digging into the Event Log and finding the name of a DLL that was causing problems, then Googling that DLL, I found out that it was nVidia's Stereoscopic 3D driver that was causing the problem! I'm not sure I had this on Vista, I hadn't updated my drivers in a while; but my Win7 drivers are the latest and greatest, and they came with this as a silent install. Uninstalled that program, and voila! PE7 works fine again! Hurray! ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1465-fixed-problem-already-hurray.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1464-premiere-elements-no-worky-win7-x64.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:57:21 GMT Just found the first kink in my shiny Windows 7 x64 install...Premeire Elements 7 crashes on me as soon as I switch over to the Transitions tab. Argh. I was really hoping to upload a quick video of my 2-year old's first trick-or-treat experience for the grandparents, instead I spend an hour screwing with my PC to no avail. *sigh*

Downloading the trial of the new PE8 now, hopefully that works as an upgrade option...I really, really have grown to like Premiere Elements. Also downloading the Windows Live Movie Maker as a backup...I've never been a fan, but at least I can expect it to work properly on Win7. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1464-premiere-elements-no-worky-win7-x64.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1408-currently-playing-update-9-23-2009.html Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:41:39 GMT I broke down and bought Halo 3:ODST last night. I had no choice...Toys R Us was giving a $20 gift card with purchase, and I can't turn down a free $20 for a game I know I want to buy eventually anyway.

I played for maybe half-an-hour last night. It's basically the same Halo experience, just some different mechanics that require a slightly less aggressive posture. Having fun, expect that to continue. Haven't tried the new Firefight mode yet though.


Updated list:

• Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (PC)
• Halo 3:ODST (X360)
• Rock Band: Beatles (X360)
• Dead Rising (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1408-currently-playing-update-9-23-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1385-currently-playing-update-9-10-2009.html Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:09:55 GMT Holy crap, it's been over three months since I updated my gaming list?!? I could have sworn it wasn't that long ago...time flew over the summer I suppose, I must not have done as much gaming as I thought.

I'm still playing Oblivion, but I'm going to take everything else off the list. I finished both Guitar Hero:World Tour and Metallica's guitar mode on Expert, and I'm not sure when or if I'll go back and play any of the other modes. Mass Effect continus to languish in "I'm Not Sure I Care" land, the combat is just off-putting. And Age of Empires is just getting short shrift, not sure why I'm not playing that one anymore...

I've been playing Dead Rising on the X360 for a few weeks. At first I thought it sucked rocks...it's just a hard game with clunky mechanics until you level up a bit and get used to how things work. I'm having more fun with it now, and I'm sure I'll finish it in the next few weeks.

But the big dog now is Rock Band: Beatles. I think I may be done with music games for a while after this one, but no way I'm not playing this one. Heck, I'll even do the vocal mode, and I never do the vocal mode.


So here's the updated list:

• Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (PC)
• Rock Band: Beatles (X360)
• Dead Rising (X360)

For a change, I think I'll talk about some of the games I'll be playing next...

First, Halo ODST drops soon. Not sure if I'll run out and buy a copy, or wait and pur it on my XMas list. The latter makes more sense...

I also still have Marvel Ultimate Alliance, it came with my X360. I liked the Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance games on which this is based, and I like Marvel comics, so I assume I'll like the game.

And I do intend to finish Mass Effect eventually...but probably not until I finish Oblivion, I tend not to play two RPGs at once...too much story to remember.

Adios. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1385-currently-playing-update-9-10-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1150-currently-playing-update-5-28-2009.html Thu, 28 May 2009 16:30:31 GMT I finally added a PC game to the mix, and it was Oblivion. Old game to be sure, but it was on my "to play" list...and it's not the oldest game on my "to play" list by a long shot! I have all the graphics cranked up at 1920x1200, including HDR in the game plus lots of AA in the driver...so even with my new rig, frame rate can drop to just under 30fps in the wide open outdoor areas.

I've got to tell you though, the game I'm probably enjoying the most right now is Age of Empires: Age of Kings on the lowly DS. I should probably just accept that turn-based strategy hooks me like no other genre can, and just spend my time playing those games. I doubt I will ever be able to give up on my FPS, RPG, and RTS games though, but they really don't suck me in like turn-based does.


So here's the updated list:

• Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (PC)
• Guitar Hero: World Tour (X360)
• Guitar Hero: Metallica (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)
• Age of Empires: Age of Kings (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1150-currently-playing-update-5-28-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1115-currently-playing-update-5-7-2009.html Thu, 07 May 2009 14:02:34 GMT Time to change the list a little. First, I have to add Guitar Hero: World Tour. Toys R Us had a killer deal a couple weeks back to get both the game and their new guitar for only $50...that's cheaper than the game alone retailed for, and I definitely liked the idea of replacing the crappy GH3 guitar. The new one is definitely better than GH3's, but it still lags behind Rock Band's IMHO. The buttons stick just a hair, but it's enough to mess me up on complicated note patterns. But no worries, Rock Band's guitar works just fine and this is a great second guitar.

I'm going to remove Rock Band from the list for now...between GH:WT and GH:Metallica, that's really all the music games I've got time for right now. I'll come back to Rock Band's Expert drum tour later, but for now it's shelved.

Also shelving Assasin's Creed...it just got boring, so it's gone. Quake Live needs to come off too, I haven't launched it in weeks.


So here's the updated list:

• Guitar Hero: World Tour (X360)
• Guitar Hero: Metallica (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)
• Age of Empires: Age of Kings (DS)

Note that there's not a single PC game on the list. Not that I don't have interest, it's just that I've spent the last few weeks of PC time learning how to use Adobe Encore and building my first Blu-Ray disc...no more lowly DVDs for home movies of my kids, I'm full HD now baby! Anyway, it's complex software compared to what I'm used to, so it took quite a while. But I think I've figured it out and will probably add a PC game to the list here soon...I'm thinking either Oblivion or Portal, both of which I kind of skipped over but need to be added to my gaming resume. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1115-currently-playing-update-5-7-2009.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1076-currently-playing-update.html Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:03:23 GMT Got my birthday gifts from the extended family on Easter. It's a couple weeks early, but saves me from making a two-hour drive twice. Anyway, my mom got me Guitar Hero Metallica, so of course I have to play it! Of course I'm five-starring everything because I've got mad skillz.

Oh who am I kidding, it's because I'm only playing on Hard so far and I've only played the first 25% of the songs. I'm sure Expert will kill me, I can't even get through One in GH3 on Expert. So playing Hard first lets me get through the career at least once, plus lets me re-learn how to play (I've been doing drums only in Rock Band for months, my guitar skills are rusty).

So here's the updated list:

• Guitar Hero: Metallica (X360)
• Rock Band (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)
• Assassin's Creed (PC)
• Quake Live (PC)
• Age of Empires: Age of Kings (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1076-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1061-currently-playing-update.html Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:36:24 GMT I finished GTA4 over the weekend. I kept playing for a little while longer to unlock a couple more achievements, but I don't really have any motivation to keep going and get any more. Moving on to a new game seems more exciting to me. So GTA4 is packed up and in the closet.

Replacing it is Mass Effect, a game I got for XMas 2007. I've stopped and started several times since then, maybe logging 5-7 hours of play time. But now I'm going to make it my main game and play through to the end.

I also realized that I'm playing Quake Live matches several times a week but failed to add it to the list. Rectifying that oversight.

So here's the updated list:

• Rock Band (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)
• Assassin's Creed (PC)
• Quake Live (PC)
• Age of Empires: Age of Kings (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1061-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1034-currently-playing-update.html Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:55:27 GMT I am stuck in jury duty this week and next, and there is a lot of down time. Thought it would be a good time to break out an old DS game that's been sitting on my shelf, still in shrinkwrap, since April 2007 (it was a birthday gift) -- Age of Empires: Age of Kings. It is notan RTS like the PC game, it is a turn-based strategy game...kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics gameplay but with Age of Empires units. I'm loving it so far, it seems to be an excellent game.

Early last week I also started playing Assassin's Creed on the PC. Mildly fun...I'm not rapturous over it or anything, but I am enjoying it so far.

I'm also dropping Rock Band 2 off the list...haven't booted it in ages, I'm playing Rock Band 1 because I still have achievements I can earn (Expert drummer, plus lots of band achievements as a one-man band.)

So here's the updated list:

• Rock Band (X360)
• Grand Theft Auto 4 (X360)
• Assassin's Creed (PC)
• Age of Empires: Age of Kings (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1034-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1002-currently-playing-update.html Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:38:03 GMT I just finished Prey...started and finished it since my last post here, so it wasn't previously mentioned. It started out cool, since I like the whole sci-fi/Quake 4 type look and feel, and the portals were kind of neat. But it all got a bit tiresome maybe halfway through. Not to mention the lack of a death penalty: you die, you go to the spirit world for a minute, you return to the battle. So eventually you can win every battle through simple attrition...wear them down a little, die and come back, wear them down a little more, rinse and repeat. Kind of the same problem Bioshock had (it's only problem, IMHO). So Prey is hard for me to recommend unless you get it pretty cheap (which you should, it's pretty old at this point).

I've also removed FarCry 2 from the list of active games...I haven't played it since my last post, and I'm not all that interested in going back. It's still installed, maybe I'll pick it up again...but I think there are better games for me to spend my time on.


Now the trick is figuring out what PC game to play next, I have none on my list at the moment. Here's all I have got working right now:

• Grand Theft Auto 4 (X360)
• Rock Band 1 & 2 (X360)

I'm trying hard to finish GTA4, at which time I'll bring Mass Effect back on and finish it out. Maybe Dead Rising too, that's been collecting dust opn my shelf for maybe a year now. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/1002-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/882-currently-playing-update.html Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:37:59 GMT Finished Crysis Warhead last night. Good game...a little less epic in scope than Crysis, but had some more interesting set pieces IMHO.

I don't think I'm going to add a PC game to replace Warhead just yet, although I still have many sitting around waiting to be played (heck, some are 10 years old...not sure I could even get them to run on Vista!) I'll probably keep dabbling with FarCry 2 for the next couple of weeks, but I think I'll try to focus on my Xbox games that I've started but never finished; i.e., GTA4 and Mass Effect. (And still work in some Rock Band drumming, of course.)

I should mention that I'm also messing with the Halo Wars demo, but that's more of a diversion. Looks like it may be a game worth picking up though...maybe a birthday present for me, that's coming up soon...


So the current play lineup is:

• Grand Theft Auto 4 (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)
• Rock Band 1 & 2 (X360)
• FarCry 2 (PC)
• Halo Wars demo (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/882-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/845-currently-playing-update.html Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:58:49 GMT Been almost a year since I posted here...guess I should catch up a little.

Removed from list:
Okami (PS2) - Never finished this one. As I kind of expected, once I got the 360, my interest in PS2 games waned. Maybe someday I'll go back and finish, but I doubt it.
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - Finshed, got all 100 coints.
Final Fantasy III (DS) - Never finished, and I still pick it up every three months or so for a play session, but I can't really say I'm still playing it.
Guitar Hero III (X360) - Finished Hard, can't beat the last set on Expert. Still try from time to time, but not really actively playing.

Still on the list:
Rock Band (X360) - Still play it. Finished guitar on Expert, working through drums on Hard and a one-man Band World Tour w/ Medium guitars and Easy vocals.

Added to the list and already moved off the list:
Crysis (PC) - First game I played with my new rig. Quite fun.
Forza 2 (X360) - I tried it because it was free, came with my Xbox. Just not my kind of game, don't intend to continue.
Civilization 4 (PC) - I reinstalled and played this for a while in the fall, before I got me new rig. Never gets old, I should reinstall it on the new PC...

Added to the list and still actively playing:
Crysis Warhead (PC) - Crysis was good, so I had to play this obviously.
FarCry 2 (PC) - Came free with my video card. It's no FarCry and it's no Crysis...I'll be surprised if I bother to finish.
GTA4 (X360) - After letting this sit for months, I'm actively trying to work through it now.
Mass Effect (X360) - I haven't booted it in a month, but I think I can say I'm still active on this. I got it for Xmas 2008, still working on it!
Rock Band 2 (X360) - Almost done with it really, just working on the drum trainer achievements.

So there you have it, a year's worth of gaming boiled down in one post. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/845-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/303-currently-playing-update.html Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:08:08 GMT Added: Guitar Hero III (X360)
Picked up the Les Paul bundle over the weekend because I could get it for $20 off, plus there was a free download of Aerosmith's Dream On available through the weekend. Seemed like a good time to buy, even though I didn't really need it...still very enamored with and actively playing Rock band.
I probably should take Okami off the list since I haven't played it in months, but not going to do it just yet...I still have good intentions to finish the game. Same for FF3...I used to play DS games during commercial breaks, but now I'm less likely to do that with the baby around. Still intend to finish, though.

Current Play List:

• Okami (PS2)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Final Fantasy III (DS)
• Rock Band (X360)
• Guitar Hero III (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/303-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/234-x-plays-new-format-sucks.html Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:42:52 GMT I thought the show was perfect in the previous format...80% game reviews suitable for average games, peppered with some generally good humor; and 20% other game related content (previews, etc.)

The new format sucks. From the handful I've seen so far, they've dropped it down to one review per show. One. WTH? Other changes:

1. One "preview" per show, with a game developer there to walk you through it. Nice in principle, but sorry...these guys are NOT good entertainment. They're boring, they just don't interview well.

2. The "Gaming Update" segment that they crammed into the middle of the old format is now the leadoff segment, apparently to create a "news segment" format or something. But it's just a bunch of fluff high-level topics that we probably already know about.

3. Thursday they had an interview with a Sony guy, talking up Sony's plans for 2008. Again...nice idea, but yawn.

4. Apparently they fired the deep-voiced guy that did the commercial intro and outros, and replaced him with an out of work morning DJ. Seriously, he sounds like he's trying to get us worked up for the X-Play Morning Zoo on G4 FM radio. I literally want to punch him every time I hear his voice.

The problem with all these changes is that they have sucked the spark out of the show: it's humor. If G4 wanted a news show, they should have made a news show. Instead, they took over and screwed up the one good show they had left on the air. G4 always caught a lot of flak on these boards, but I always defended them because I thought X-Play rocked. But now...I just don't see it staying on auto-record on my DVR anymore.

New X-Play = fail. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/234-x-plays-new-format-sucks.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/228-currently-playing-update.html Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:10:40 GMT *Completed:* BioShock (X360) Awesome game. Frankly, the handful of people who have dissed BioShock on these forums are flat-out, bat-crap crazy. If I were to voice one complaint at all, it would be that the final boss was not challenging...Big Baddies were harder than Fontaine. Of course, I did... Completed: BioShock (X360)
Awesome game. Frankly, the handful of people who have dissed BioShock on these forums are flat-out, bat-crap crazy. If I were to voice one complaint at all, it would be that the final boss was not challenging...Big Baddies were harder than Fontaine. Of course, I did play through on Normal difficulty...I'll swing back around and play again on Hard after I knock out a few more games that have yet to even be booted.

Added: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
I had intended to start Halo 3 after BioShock, but I can't help myself...I just want to play Mario more. So I'll be starting Mario tonight or tomorrow, when my schedule allows...Halo will have to keep waiting.

Current Play List:

• Okami (PS2)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Final Fantasy III (DS)
• Rock Band (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/228-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/217-currently-playing-update.html Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:21:18 GMT Added: Rock Band (X360)
I can't not play this right away even though I haven't finished anything recently...it's just too fun.

Removed (temporarily): Halo 3
I've only played for maybe 20 minutes since I got it, then I spent all my time on BioShock. So it was added to my list prematurely. It will get re-added once I finish BioShock.

Current Play List:

• Okami (PS2)
• BioShock (X360)
• Final Fantasy III (DS)
• Rock Band (X360)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/217-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/216-happy-holidays.html Tue, 25 Dec 2007 17:15:00 GMT Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Killer Kwanzaa, Fabulous Festivus, or whatever floats your boat. :D I got my Rock Band (X360) for XMas, which was no surprise since I bought it and my wife just wrapped it up. I also got Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) and Mass Effect (X360). And non-holiday related, I... Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Killer Kwanzaa, Fabulous Festivus, or whatever floats your boat. :D

I got my Rock Band (X360) for XMas, which was no surprise since I bought it and my wife just wrapped it up. I also got Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) and Mass Effect (X360). And non-holiday related, I also just used some credit card points for a card I want to cancel to get Dead Rising (X360) for free. I don't know when I'm going to play all these games!!! I'm closing on in finishing BioShock, but haven't even realy started Halo 3...plus I still have Okami hanging out there, maybe 15-20% complete. I'm drowning in video games!!!

Oh well, good problem to have I guess. I'm off all week and the in-laws will be here, so maybe I'll just crawl off into my video game room and not come out until they leave. :thumb: ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/216-happy-holidays.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/211-got-my-new-car.html Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:58:25 GMT Finally, my new car came in last night....a 2008 Cadillac CTS, red with black interior, loaded with all sorts of technical goodies that I now have to figure out how to use. Hurray! The dealership had me put down a deposit to order the car because the black interior was an "unusual" color combination. They're basically nuts, and admitted as much when they saw the car. It's just freaking gorgeous, much better than the camel interior they considered "normal".

Now I have to learn to keep my eyes on the road instead of the navigation screen...it's just so entertaining to watch where I am on the map! :p ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/211-got-my-new-car.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/204-exit-guitar-hero-iii-enter-rock.html Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:50:53 GMT Well, I've been calling around for a while and I still can't find a Guitar Hero III bundle with the wireless guitar. But my local Toys R Us does have Rock Band in stock, so I think I'll go for that instead. Maybe that's better for me anyway, since GH3 is apparently more tailored to experienced players, or so I'm told. Wired controllers suck, but that's the only option on the X360.

Plus, Rock Band has a Nirvana song. Best...band...ever. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/204-exit-guitar-hero-iii-enter-rock.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/200-xmas-present.html Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:47:20 GMT So I was shopping around for my own Xmas present yesterday...my wife and I always pick out our own gifts so we know that we're spending our money on stuff we actually want. We'd rather have gifts we want than to be surprised by crap gifts!

Anyway, my gift was supposed to be Guitar Hero 3 for the X360, but man, it's sold out everywhere. I went to five places yesterday, and only the fifth (Wal-Mart) had any in stock. So I snathced it up and happily took it home for my wife to wrap. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that the box didn't have that Les Paul guitar on it, it had the old shaped guitar...i.e., I had bought a wired controller version. I didn't even know they made a wired version for the X360, all the ads and articles I have seen only mention the wireless controllers. So I'm ticked...my wife took it back, and now I have to find the one I actually want.

It's last year all over again...I got a Wii last year, but I didn't actually get it until February. I don't want GH3 that badly, I've never even played 1 or 2. Guess I should just come up with something else that we can actually find in stock. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/200-xmas-present.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/187-ohio-state-14-michigan-3.html Sun, 18 Nov 2007 03:55:29 GMT Go Bucks, Michigan sucks. Nuff said. Go Bucks, Michigan sucks. Nuff said. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/187-ohio-state-14-michigan-3.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/184-bad-car-luck.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:55:24 GMT Sucks to be me right now. I decided a few weeks ago that it was time to replace my 98 Sebring convertible...it's getting a little long in the tooth. I settled on the Cadillac CTS, but they didn't have the exact one I wanted. So I ordered one...I don't like to settle.

And so of course, my car is now dead. I'm typing this on my BlackBerry, sitting in a dead car, in 40 degree weather, waiting for a tow truck and my wife to come rescue me. If I hadn't insisted on a black interior, I would be on my way to pick Super Mario Galaxy in total comfort right now...but NOOOOO!!!!!

And now I have to pay to fix this heap...I still need it for about five more weeks. Vulcan is NOT happy. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/184-bad-car-luck.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/180-bioshock-awesome.html Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:20:11 GMT Not that you needed me to tell you that...I'm pretty late to the BioShock party. But it is, without question, the most engrossing game I've played since Final Fantasy 12. The hours just fly by, it's very easy to lose track of time.

I would also add that they hit that "spiritual successor to System Shock 2" nail right on the head. Sure, the setting is completely different; but the mechanics of gameplay are virtually identical. And that's a good thing. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/180-bioshock-awesome.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/175-currently-playing-update.html Sun, 04 Nov 2007 22:21:39 GMT Added: BioShock (X360), Halo 3 (X360)

Removed: C&C3 (PC) - I just wasn't playing it. It's still installed and I may go back to it, but I'm probably going to be heavy on the Xbox 360 for quite some time.

Current Play List:

• Okami (PS2)
• BioShock (X360)
• Halo 3 (X360)
• Final Fantasy III (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/175-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/169-currently-playing-update.html Sat, 27 Oct 2007 23:17:29 GMT Completed: God of War 2
Verdict: More of the same high quality God of War gameplay. I think the final battle was much easier than the ending of the first one; or maybe I'm just better at GoW gameplay now, or something. Definitely worth playing, regardless.

On to Okami, which will finish out the last "must play" PS2 games for me before I move on to the Xbox 360.

Current Play List:

• Okami (PS2)
• Command & Conquer 3 (PC) (idle)
• Final Fantasy III (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/169-currently-playing-update.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/164-blu-ray-high-def.html Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:13:43 GMT Some time ago in the forums, I made the argument that one of the reasons HD-DVD was better for consumers than Blu-Ray was a simple one: it was easier for Average Joe Wal-Mart Customer to understand. They know what a DVD is...so HD-DVD is just...HD DVD. Obvious to a monkey. But what the heck is... Some time ago in the forums, I made the argument that one of the reasons HD-DVD was better for consumers than Blu-Ray was a simple one: it was easier for Average Joe Wal-Mart Customer to understand. They know what a DVD is...so HD-DVD is just...HD DVD. Obvious to a monkey. But what the heck is a "Blu-Ray" disc? Simple marketing like this is important when selling to the unwashed masses.

Apparently I've been proven correct. For the longest time, commercials for new Sony releases ended with the standard "Available on DVD and Blu-Ray disc". But now, with Spider-Man 3, they have changed the tag line to "Available on DVD and Blu-Ray High-Def". I guess I was right...no one knew what the heck a Blu-Ray was.

Bad marketing news for Blu-Ray, IMHO. They have spent a jillion dollars trying to push the Blu-Ray format, but after all this time the message that it's high-def apparently isn't "built in" to the product name. Part of me wonders if the masses don't think of Blu-Ray as that "Playstation movie format", much like the UMD was just the PSP movie format. ]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/164-blu-ray-high-def.html http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/162-currently-playing-update.html Mon, 22 Oct 2007 04:01:31 GMT Completed: Half-Life 2 Episode 2 (PC).
Verdict: More of the same high quality HL2 gameplay. Definitely worth playing. Although I predict that by the end of Episode 3, I will be longing for a whole "new" game (i.e. Half-Life 3) instead of these little bites of "more HL2".

Current Play List:

• God of War 2 (PS2)
• Okami (PS2)
• Command & Conquer 3 (PC) (idle)
• Final Fantasy III (DS)

]]> VulcanDragon http://www.overclock.net/blogs/vulcandragon/162-currently-playing-update.html