Archive for April, 2007

Review: Heroes – Five Years Gone

Monday, April 30th, 2007

Five Years Gone

Last week was the long awaited return of Heroes on NBC. This week’s episode was highly anticipated as it was advertised as a chance to see the five years into the future. What would happen if the heroes would fail?

The episode starts with Ando and Hiro inside Isaac loft, in a devastated New York and rather post-apocalyptic New York. The bomb did explode and destroy half the city. People with special abilities are now being hunted down out of fear. Sylar appears to be publicly held responsible for the disaster but Hiro (present and future) are determined to change time. Strange twist is that many characters are absent, dead or killed during the episode. Mr Bennet, with the help of Hana are helping people with special abilities get new identities and go underground. Matt is now head of Home Land security and answers directly to Nathan, now President of the United States of America.

From early trailers his attitude seemed very strange, especially towards Claire and how condescending his view of the others was. Present Hiro is taken captive and under wraps by Matt and the Haitian. I was looking forward Peter using his abilities and we got to see a little bit of his potential, but we’re still far from a show-down. The show wouldn’t be that great if Nathan turned into a bad guy, instead it turns out that Sylar had found Candice and was able to impersonate Nathan. No better position to round up people with special abilities and pick all the abilities he wants. His painting of the future that he drawn in last week episode was foreshadowing a mean looking Nathan, for myself I saw it looking as Sylar himself in the White House.

No need to be too sad about that episode, everything can still change. Just like future Hiro was able to tell Peter to save the cheerleader altered his reality (perhaps). Hiro has tried to kill Sylar but he could regenerate then. He can’t do that in our time line, so during the last few seconds of the episode Hiro and Ando manage to return to their time line in hopes to prevent this horrible future to happen. There was a quick scene where Peter and Sylar meet, fire versus ice and a Mohinder trying to block a door about to explode. I can imagine the budget for a show down has to be saved for the two hours finale. Only three episodes left! The pace is kicking and the show still sends out that vibe: it’s a dark world we live in, people will do good and evil. I loved the episode. I’ll make sure to watch it again.

God of War on PSP

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

Can’t get enough of Kratos action? You’ve already played God of War and God of War II? How about test your skills on the go? The official announcement was given via an ad with GoW II. The game is called God of War: Chains of Olympus and should come to the PlayStation Portable sometime this year. The first teaser trailer has hit the web and can be viewed at the end of the post. The official site is not fully operational yet… but there is a sign up to get a demo disk. I’m not sure if the story line is a sequel. It gave me the impression that it circles around adventures during or before the original God of War. Will have to wait a little more in order to get more information. But the graphics look sick! I mean it’s on a portable device… take that Nintendo DS!

Facebook Rules

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

Today I’m so glad I never signed up with MySpace! I know that those trends never last too long, but there is something about Facebook that draws me in. Perhaps it’s the uncluttered interface. When ever I was looking through the MySpace page of some people there was always so kind of music, picture slide show, crazy background and even video clips. I could say that it’s on MySpace that you can find the WORSE designed web pages in the world.

These kind of websites are successful depending how many of your friends are on it. I always tend to resist until I get many invites and just crack. That is what happened with hi5 a few months ago, look at it now, it’s a MySpace clone and is starting to integrate all I hate about it.

On the other hand Facebook has a refreshing look. It’s structured and it got all the nice things you like about a “friends aggregator”. You can post messages for everyone to see, you can send them private messages, join groups and post pictures and events. Facebook as always been more serious concerning it’s audience because at first you HAD TO BE a student with a valid school email address to sign up. In the US, all universities’ website end with .edu and it was quite easy to create a filter for… They’ve broaden their audience by allowing anyone to join but when it comes to School Networks they bring the concept back and you can join that network only if you’re really a student there. It’s a good way to keep child predators at bay (unless they’re students there).

FacebookI’ve got high hopes for Facebook and hope it’s there to stay for a while. Unless someone else can do better.

Windows Vista

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

Windows Vista LogoJust a quick update on what I’ve been using. Last summer I got around to try a few of the beta versions of Windows Vista. I kept dual booting with Windows XP because compatibility wasn’t exactly where I wanted it. Whether it is support for some of my favorite video games or some software I’m used to using. Anyhow, my system was getting loaded with too many operation systems (XP and Linux) so I decided to go for a clean install. What better than to pick up Windows Vista and try living with it. To learn more about my thoughts on the software I suggest reading my overview of Windows Vista Release Candidate 2. One drawback from XP is that I cannot use my scanner (HP Scanjet 2200c) because Hewlett-Packard doesn’t value it’s customers and will not release new drivers for it. The major issue I have to deal with is related to audio playback. From time to time the sound just stops working and won’t come back until a reboot…

Now for all you people out there wondering if they should upgrade to Vista I will say: It’s a great operating system. I even believe it will be better than Windows XP ever was. However, considering the price to upgrade I would suggest waiting on the purchase of a new PC (or Mac). Rumor has that a service pack should be released by the end of the year and will most definitely improve the OS further.

God of War II

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

God of War II - Cover ArtAt last, I have finished the game. Overall I enjoyed every single moment of it. I am of those who believe this sequel is even better than the original God of War that was already perfect. I will call God of War II super-perfect in the sense of game play and cinematic value. My expectations were even surpassed when it comes to the improvements they’ve been able to make. They’ve been able to pick up the story get rid of little flaws and add to what people loved about the first installment. They have managed to keep everything that was epic about the first game and port it over to a sequel, it can be considered one of the very last “great” game to come to the PlayStation 2. You start the game with your favorite anti-hero Kratos, now a god.

Kratos and a Spartan

After defeating Ares you decide to guide your people (the Spartans) to many wars and thanks to your power they are victorious (one would assume). However the other gods in Olympus are not happy with the way you do things (just like they didn’t really like Ares). Once you arrive on the battlefield as a giant you are betrayed and part of your powers are taken away. You are reduced to human size and must fight the Colossus of Rhodes that has been animated by godly powers. From that first act, the story takes many twists and turns to bring you to the ground, back to a mere mortal and force you to re-establish your powers. In order to change your fate, Gaïa the Titan helps you reach the Sisters of Fate that could change your past, thus insuring your future.
Kratos and Troll
Bones and Kratos

Just like the first game you fight your way through mythical enemies and meet others seeking the sisters of fate. The combos that were present in the first game were slightly altered to give it something new, but in the end it’s still a combination of button mashing and blocking at the right time. About half way through the game you find the Golden Fleece that allows you to deflect an energy attack right back at your enemies, the trick is that you need to block at the exact time your about to be hit. You come across new spells to cast upon your enemies and you have a new rage mode that allows you to increase the damage you can make. Finally you have more alternate weapons that you can use (up to three this time). You really feel for your character and even if you don’t agree with all his methods it’s a heart pumping adrenaline rush. The finale is epic and the unlockable bonuses will keep me playing for some time. I will not spoil by saying that I’ll be waiting for God of War III and a PSP title later this year and in 2008. I’ll give God of War 2 a 10 out of 10, being the greatest game to be ever released on the PS2, seeing that game (and how good it looks) makes you forget about all this next generation graphics thing.

Day Watch – HD Trailer

Sunday, April 8th, 2007

Day Watch Simple PosterI remember totally missing out on the first movie, Night Watch, I got to see it months after it was released on DVD but was quite surprised by that Russian movie. It’s based on a trilogy of novels presenting the infinite tale of good versus evil. The first movie was about the “Night Watch” a group of good guys that need to look over the bad guys to make sure they don’t cross any of the boundaries.

Day Watch (DNEVNOI DOZOR), gives you the indication that we’ll look at the other side of the fence as the balance of power has been shifted in an unexpected manner. The first movie had impressive visual effects that helped give way to this crazy universe that is our own. The best way to understand what it’s all about is to watch the trailer. It’s been available on YouTube for some time but the quality is always painful. Instead visit Quicktime trailers for the trailer for Day Watch in high definition (HD).

Set in contemporary Moscow, DAY WATCH (DNEVNOI DOZOR) revolves around the conflict and balance maintained between the forces of light and darkness – the result of a medieval truce between the opposing sides.

In Theatres: June 1st, 2007

Timur Bekmambetov (dir.)
Konstantin Khabensky
Vladimir Menshov
Valery Zolotukhin
Maria Poroshina
Galina Tunina

Day Watch US Poster

How likely is Sony to redesign the PSP?

Saturday, April 7th, 2007

With the announcement this week of the PSP getting a price drop for it’s Core Pack one might wonder what is Sony thinking? Alright, alright, we all know it’s sales figure are no where near the Nintendo DS, we know it’s been pricey from the start and that Sony needs good publicity nowadays. It’s price is now at $169.99 and it’s obviously a move to push more systems to the market, but is this a hint that Sony is clearing the inventory to make room for a redesign? If you remember both the PlayStation (PSOne) and the PlayStation 2 (PS2) got a make over that helped lower their price and increase their appeal to customers. As for myself I bought both these systems as soon as they were redesigned and got the price cut. The only real bonus for those redesign are a smaller form factor and a better profit margin for Sony as their equipment is cheaper to manufacture. If the past is any indication of the future, and if you believe everything is bound to happen again then you have good reasons to believe it will happen again.
Sony PlayStation Portable
However, they probably have a large stock of PSPs and the price drop is a minimal appeal, the lack of A+ games is still missing and they don’t have the market the DS has. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is advertised as a strong gaming device, movie player and music system. In a day and age were MP3 players and cellphones keep getting smaller and video is increasingly appealing a redesign of the PSP would be a great way to promote the platform and include more inter-connection with the PlayStation 3 (PS3). Remember that the DS got a redesign and is loved in it’s new form factor, Sony is planning to make a new distribution service where you will be able to download movies to play on your PSP. A nice addition to a redesign would be included memory, even if Memory Stick are getting much cheaper…

I’m planning to get both a PSP and PS3 someday, when the price is right. I will give it to the end of the year and see if they manage to come with a redesign, I remember buying my PS2 for $179.99 CDN so all things considered the PSP is now a valid option. I predict a redesigned PSP in time for Christmas 2008.

What to watch on the Web?

Wednesday, April 4th, 2007

I don’t know how many people like myself don’t have cable at home, nor satellite TV. I’ve been living off over the air program which gives you a fair selection of shows. None the less it’s not like there are a lot of interesting things on TV and that I wouldn’t have the time to watch it much. A while back I touted the great Open Source program called Democracy, it let’s you subscribe to downloadable shows that are completely free. There is something for every taste but here are a few that I like (as a tech savvy person) it’s mostly technology shows and game shows.

DL.TV, Diggnation, IGN Weekly, The Totally Rad Show, Lab Rats, On the Spot, inDigital, CNet TV, and X-Play. These shows are weekly editions for the most but to get a better idea of their schedule you should follow the links to their website. The best way to enjoy videos on the web is to aggregate them in one place. This way you don’t have to jump from a website to an other. In my case I use these shows RSS feeds that give a link for the download as well as information about the episode. Democracy can be set up to automatically download the shows. This way you have a free TV on Demand on your computer (if you have the right set up you can send the image to a nearby TV, like I do). The shows are usually free but they are sponsored which is a good bargain for free.

Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht from Diggnation

One thing I found to be unexpected is how you quickly have those models take over the Internet, just like your huge TV stations like FOX, NBC or Global, many video cast affiliate themselves to a larger brand to create the equivalent of a channel. Big networks like CNet, Revision3 or Ziff Davis are a few owners of several IPTV shows I watch. So any day you’re bored with what you have on the small screen, head over to a smaller one (relative) to get your fix.