Saturday, May 28, 2005

Friday, May 27, 2005

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

The time has arrived... bloop bleep bloop For some people, this week has been a week anticipated for over 5 years in the making. How many people, you ask? Well, just a few 100 million. Who are these people? Simply enough, all the video gamers in the world who pay attention to the gaming industry. So if you are not a video gamer crazed peep, then let me fill you in... this week is E3, the earth summit for video gamers. More importantly, this year's E3 debuted the next generation video game systems that we will be hearing about and seeing in the beginning of 2006. As known the big players in this decade are Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. New next generation systems usually come out around every 5-6 years, so there have been a lot of people waiting for this moment. The moment has now come and gone and speculation and patience is only next until the actual release of these new systems. But, as we have learned over the years, it's hard to get a system when actually released, so you may be waiting an additional few months before getting these into your home. So, what was introduced? First, the Xbox360, which was announced on MTV last week. This announcement was hard to watch as all of the Microsoft geeks read a book on how to be cool and tried their best to be just that. They failed. But, still the hardware is there, so I'll try to focus on that, thought it was an incredible turn off for me on Microsoft's try to be hip, whatever that means. (For people who know me, it takes a lot for me to give Microsoft a penny). Second, the Playstation 3 was introduced at E3. The system, the guts, blow away everything. Period. Finally, today the Nintendo Revolution was introduced. The Revolution doesn't seem to touch the other two systems in power, but will definitely hold a interesting key in the gaming industry, which I'm truly partials too… memorabilia. That all being said, here are my rants and raves on these three systems given what we know today and after watching the three press conferences that are available online for us lucky people! Xbox 360 :: Though Microsoft makes my spine hurt and I have successfully lived without purchasing the Xbox 1, I have to say that there is enough candy and goodies in the 360 that I will own this system when it is released. Graphics, gameplay and the full multimedia experience (view/play photos, videos, music, community, ecommerce) are all there as expected now days. But, the #1 reason why I will buy this system is that it will have Halo 3, which I'm sure I can't live without! I like the design of the box, but I know that the design didn't come naturally from them, they just looked at the iPod and said "that's hip, copy it". So, as you can see, I will remain bent towards Xbox 360, but that doesn't mean that I will boycott it (which, I'm also good at doing on things I don't like http://www.idontlikethat.com) Playstation 3 :: This is the only system of the three that I actually said "WOW" out loud... so it must be good :) The specs on this thing are so amazing, I'm not going to begin to explain them all (do your own research on the web, lazy butt). I am so wowed by this system, I thought they were showing me the Playstation 4 which will come out in 2012 (just kidding, like I would know that). They also had by far the best conference. They pooled their money into the system rather then the hype of the stage presents. Of course, the PS3 also has the full multimedia experience that the Xbox 360 has... there is definitely a war between the two systems in how much crap they sell on their systems. Personally, I'm not that interested in buying a MP3 on my gaming console. There is so much more to say about this system, but I'm going to stop here for now. Nintendo Revolution :: There is a place in everyone's hearts for Nintendo. They were there for us when my generation was growing up. We know Mario like we know Ronald McDonald. That being said, Revolution is playing right on that. The system specs are still not exactly released, but so far sound like they won't be able to touch either Xbox 360 or PS3, but what Revolution does have the the rest does not... 20 years worth of video games on one system. You will be able to download and play video games for the NES, SNES, NES64 and play GameCube discs. For us 20 and 30 somethings, that is very special. If Nintendo never releases a gaming system after this one, this system will still be in our homes for decades to come just on memory sake alone. They also continue to come up with the most user friendly and unique gaming experiences out there. So, yes, I do plan to buy this system too... just to play NES's Master Blaster :) Now, I'm trying to be brief as possible because this is supposed to be a quick blog entry (not), but it is important for me to get my feelings out on this subject. Video game technology is fun and more fun to simply keep up with. I don't play a lot of games but I love keeping up with the graphics and technology that spawns from the video game industry. I will and always will say that the TurboGrafx-16 is my favorite system of all time. However, I plan to own all 3 of these new systems, so I instantly don't have to worry about which is better and get into all of those arguments. But, I have to say on an excitement level, the PS3 looks like will by my favorite system. I will know in a year from now hopefully, so nothing is in stone yet! I remember vividly fantasizing how video games should be back in 1990... today, with the announcements of these new systems, my imagination has finally failed me in what all could be possible. This is a truly exciting time for any one with a sense of adventure and imagination! Kev! posted by vectorlime 3:21:00 PM |

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Wicked week! I just got back from seeing, hands down, the best musical that I have ever seen, Wicked. I had to blog about it, because if you 'might' have heard about it or hear about it ever day and still don't have tickets to see it in either New York City or Chicago (where I am at), then you are an idiot. So, now that I have insulted you, go prove me wrong and see the show today! We all know the story of the Wizard of Oz as a kid, and then knew of it again when playing it against the Pink Floyd album, so now it is time to visit it again, in a different light, before Dorthy's house came crashing down. I won't ruin the story by retelling it here, but all I can compare it to is if we found out the Santa Clause was actually a bad guy after all of these years. Enough said about that! However, before seeing this 2 hour and 45 minute masterpiece, I received some horribly disturbing news. As I dined at a well known, high class establishment, I saw a sign as I placed my order for a Mexican pizza and Meximelt. 'This establishment will be closed after today, our lease was not renewed'. Yes, that is right, as I ate my favorite delicacy from the south, I learned that the Taco Bell/KFC in one restaurant was closing after today. I shed a tear as Chicago is losing another Taco Bell. What is a guy with such high tastes in standards going to do? Luckily, I still have two other locations that I can go to, but there will always be a place in my heart for the Taco Bell/KFC, all in one, restaurant on Lake Street here in Chicago. Okay, I'm over that now. I did save a hot sauce packet for memory sake. Never mind, I just used it on a Ritz cracker. Yum! Experience Wicked, save Taco Bell. Kev! posted by vectorlime 12:48:00 AM |

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Tuesday, April 12, 2005