Zune v.1

Even though the new version of the zune software is set t come out soon, I figured I'd let you know how the current zune software holds up. After using it, i can make this a very very short review.

Have you used Windows Media Player 11? Looks sharp right? Got a good mental image in your head of how all the artists, albums, and songs look? Now take away the sharp black/blue color and put a poop brown color there instead. Boom, you got the zune software.

i had hoped that Microsoft would put forth some effort, but they just modded WMP11 a bit and called it a day. Its not that bad, but if WMP can handle the zune, I'll use that as its easier on the eyes. Hopefully v.2 of the zune software will actually take a step or two away from WMP and establish its self as a independent music managing platform.

mSeliga

30 Days of Sweetness

I went out and saw the new movie "30 Days of Night" this Friday. I have to say its one of the best vampire movie I've seen in a long time. It doesn't make the vampires out to be super killing machines, but they are vicious. It takes place in Alaska, which has 30 days of light, then 30 days of darkness. The vampires come during the first night and kick some major ass. There is some serious blood, but not much gore. As far as scary, a bit. There are only a few parts where they jump out at ya. None the less, this movie is in the Must-See area. If you like action/vampire movies, this is great. The only grip is the end, but you'll find for yourself why.

mSeliga

zune Software v1.0 Review Coming

I kow that the zune2 is right around the corner, but I went ahead and migrated my iTunes library over to the zune software. I'll have a review by the end of the week with how it stacks up.

mSeliga

Wii+DS+3rd Party

Nintendo, in a move to reassure everyone that the Wii and DS are getting plenty of third part support, they released a huge list of games for both platforms. Check it out below.

Wii

Oct. 1: MLB(R) Power Pros from 2K Sports
Oct. 1: Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire(TM) from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 2: Crash(R) of the Titans from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 5: Balls of Fury(TM) from DSI Games
Oct. 8: Donkey Kong(R): Barrel Blast from Nintendo
Oct. 9: FIFA 08 from Electronic Arts
Oct. 9: Bleach: Shattered Blade(TM) from SEGA
Oct. 9: LOONEY TUNES: ACME ARSENAL(TM) from WB Games
Oct. 10: Arctic Tale from DSI Games
Oct. 15: Sea Monsters from DSI Games
Oct. 16: Thrillville(R): Off the Rails(TM) from LucasArts
Oct. 22: EA PLAYGROUND from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Backyard Football from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 23: The Sims 2(TM) Castaway from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Rockstar Games Presents(TM) Table Tennis from Rockstar Games
Oct. 23: The Legend of Spyro(TM): The Eternal Night from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 23: NARUTO(TM): Clash of Ninja(TM) Revolution from TOMY Corporation
Oct. 25: M&M'S(R) Kart Racing from DSI Games
Oct. 28: Guitar Hero III(TM): Legends of Rock from Activision
Oct. 29: Battalion Wars(TM) 2 from Nintendo
Oct. 30: Ben 10(TM): Protector of Earth from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 30: Showtime(R) Championship Boxing(TM) from DSI Games
Oct. 30: NEED FOR SPEED PROSTREET from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: THE SIMPSONS from Electronic Arts
Oct. 31: Manhunt 2(TM) from Rockstar Games
October: Spider-Man(TM): Friend or Foe from Activision
October: Bee Movie(TM) Game from Activision
October: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground from Activision
October: Ultimate Duck Hunting(TM) from Detn8 Games Ltd.
October: Mercury Meltdown Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
October: Namco Museum(TM) Remix from NAMCO BANDAI Games America
October: Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity from The Game Factory
October: Avatar: The Last Airbender(TM) - The Burning Earth from THQ
October: Bratz: The Movie(TM) from THQ
October: Cars: Mater-National from THQ
October: Nicktoons(TM): Attack of the Toybots from THQ
October: SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis(TM) from THQ
Nov. 5: Fire Emblem(R): Radiant Dawn from Nintendo
Nov. 6: DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 6: LEGO(R) Star Wars(TM): The Complete Saga from LucasArts
Nov. 6: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(TM) from SEGA
Nov. 12: Super Mario Galaxy(TM) from Nintendo
Nov. 13: Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 13: Godzilla Unleashed from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 13: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary from Eidos, Inc.
Nov. 13: BLOCKS from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: MEDAL OF HONOR HEROES(TM) 2 from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: LUXOR: Pharaoh's Challenge from MumboJumbo
Nov. 13: Geometry Wars(TM): Galaxies from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 19: Link's Crossbow Training(TM) (packaged with Wii Zapper(TM)) from Nintendo
Nov. 19: SMARTY PANTS(TM) from Electronic Arts
Nov. 20: Jenga World Tour from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords(TM) from D3Publisher of America(R)
November: Trauma Center(TM): New Blood from Atlus USA
November: Star Trek: Conquest from Bethesda Softworks
November: Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey from Disney Interactive Studios
November: Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour from Disney Interactive Studios
November: High School Musical: Sing It from Disney Interactive Studios
November: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
November: Furu Furu Park from Majesco Entertainment
November: AMF Bowling: Pinbusters! from Mud Duck Games
November: Ghost Squad(TM) from SEGA
November: WWE(R) SmackDown(R) vs. Raw(R) 2008 from THQ
November: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 from Ubisoft
November: CSI: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft
November: My Word Coach from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Catz 2 (name not final) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Dogz 2 (name not final) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Horsez 2 (name not final) from Ubisoft
November: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 from Ubisoft
Dec. 4: Alvin and the Chipmunks from Brash Entertainment
Dec. 4: The Golden Compass(TM) from SEGA
December: MX vs. ATV(TM) Untamed(TM) from THQ
December: Super Swing Golf(TM) Season 2 from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Rygar(R): The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Cranium: Kabookii from Ubisoft
December: Nitrobike from Ubisoft
Holiday 2007: NiGHTS(TM): Journey of Dreams from SEGA
Winter '07: SoulCalibur Legends(TM) from NAMCO BANDAI Games America
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean(TM) from Nintendo
Feb. 10: Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl from Nintendo
Feb. 15: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
Feb. 19: Sonic(TM) Riders: Zero Gravity from SEGA
February: No More Heroes from Ubisoft
February: Wild Petz Tigerz from Ubisoft
March: Obscure: The Aftermath from Ignition Entertainment
Q1: LUXOR 3 from MumboJumbo
Q1: One Piece(TM): Unlimited Adventure(TM) from NAMCO BANDAI Games America
Spring '08: Mario Kart(R) Wii (name not final) from Nintendo

Nintendo DS

Oct. l: The Legend of Zelda(R): Phantom Hourglass from Nintendo
Oct. 2: Chibi-Robo(TM): Park Patrol from Nintendo
Oct. 2: Backyard Hockey 2008 from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 2: Holly Hobbie(TM) & Friends from Majesco Entertainment
Oct. 2: Crash(R) of the Titans from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 2: The Legend of Spyro(TM): The Eternal Night from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 9: FIFA 08 from Electronic Arts
Oct. 9: Flipper Critters from Ignition Entertainment
Oct. 9: Bleach: the Blade of Fate(TM) from SEGA
Oct. 9: LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK(TM) from WB Games
Oct. 15: Flash Focus(TM): Vision Training in Minutes a Day from Nintendo
Oct. 15: The Aly & AJ Adventure from DSI Games
Oct. 16: Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 16: Thrillville(R): Off the Rails(TM) from LucasArts
Oct. 16: Fish Tycoon(R) from Majesco Entertainment
Oct. 16: Super Collapse! 3 from MumboJumbo
Oct. 17: Prism(TM) from Secret Stash Games(TM)
Oct. 19: Betty Boop's(TM) "Double Shift" from DSI Games
Oct. 22: EA PLAYGROUND from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: THE SIMS 2 CASTAWAY from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Rhythm 'n Notes: Improve Your Music Skill from AGETEC
Oct. 23: Backyard Football 2008 from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 23: Napoleon Dynamite from Crave Entertainment
Oct. 23: Ed, Edd n Eddy(TM): Scam of the Century from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 23: Hannah Montana: Music Jam from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 23: Disney Princess: Magical Jewels from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 23: Power Rangers: Super Legends from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 23: Zoo Hospital(TM) from Majesco Entertainment
Oct. 23: FRONT MISSION(R) from Square Enix, Inc.
Oct. 23: NARUTO(TM): Path of the Ninja(TM) from TOMY Corporation
Oct. 25: Sea Monsters from DSI Games
Oct. 25: Arctic Tale from DSI Games
Oct. 30: Ben 10(TM): Protector of Earth from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 30: Suite Life: Circle of Spies from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 30: Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch(TM) Stole Christmas from DSI Games
Oct. 30: NEED FOR SPEED PROSTREET from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: THE SIMPSONS from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: Puzzle de Harvest Moon from Natsume Inc.
Oct. 31: Dementium: The Ward from Gamecock Media Group
Oct. 31: Solitaire Overload(TM) from Telegames, Inc.
October: Spider-Man(TM): Friend or Foe from Activision
October: Bee Movie(TM) Game from Activision
October: Shrek(R): Ogres and Dronkeys(TM) from Activision
October: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground from Activision
October: Touch Detective 21/2(TM) from Atlus USA
October: Animal Genius(TM) from Scholastic
October: Build-A-Bear Workshop from The Game Factory
October: Avatar: The Last Airbender(TM) - The Burning Earth from THQ
October: Cars: Mater-National from THQ
October: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera(TM) from THQ
October: Nicktoons(TM): Attack of the Toybots from THQ
October: Ratatouille(R) Food Frenzy from THQ
October: SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis(TM) from THQ
October: Chessmaster: The Art of Learning from Ubisoft
October: Imagine: Babyz from Ubisoft
October: Imagine: Fashion Designer from Ubisost
October: Imagine: Master Chef from Ubisoft
October: Imagine: Animal Doctor from Ubisoft
October: Wild Petz Dolphinz from Ubisoft
Nov. 6: Dora the Explorer(TM): Dora Saves the Mermaids from 2K Play
Nov. 6: Go Diego Go(TM): Safari Adventure from 2K Play
Nov. 6: Baby Pals from Crave Entertainment
Nov. 6: Horse Life(TM) from D3Publisher of America(R)
Nov. 6: LEGO(R) Star Wars(TM): The Complete Saga from LucasArts
Nov. 6: Chicken Hunter from MumboJumbo
Nov. 6: DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS(TM): Joker from Square Enix, Inc.
Nov. 10: Showtime(R) Championship Boxing(TM) from DSI Games
Nov. 13: Enchanted from Disney Interactive Studios
Nov. 13: BOOGIE from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: ORCS & ELVES from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends from Majesco Entertainment
Nov. 13: Geometry Wars(TM): Galaxies from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 19: Mario Party(R) DS from Nintendo
Nov. 20: Godzilla Unleashed Double Smash from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: Jenga World Tour from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: LUXOR: Pharaoh's Challenge from MumboJumbo
Nov. 20: FINAL FANTASY(R) XII: REVENANT WINGS(TM) from Square Enix, Inc.
Nov. 26: Master of Illusion(TM) from Nintendo
November: Call of Duty(R): Modern Warfare(TM) from Activision
November: Ontamarama(TM) from Atlus USA
November: Draglade(TM) from Atlus USA
November: Elf Bowling(TM) Collector's Edition from Detn8 Games Ltd.
November: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
November: Clue(TM)/Mouse Trap(TM)/Perfection(TM)/Aggravation(TM) from DSI Games
November: Contra 4 from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
November: Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
November: Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake from The Game Factory
November: Bratz Super Babyz(TM) from THQ
November: Bratz: 4 Real(TM) from THQ
November: Warhammer(R) 40,000(TM): Squad Command(TM) from THQ
November: WWE(R) SmackDown(R) vs. Raw(R) 2008 from THQ
November: Ninja Gaiden(R) Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc.
November: My French Coach from Ubisoft
November: My Spanish Coach from Ubisoft
November: My Word Coach from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Catz 2 (working title) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Dogz 2 (working title) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Hamsterz Life 2 from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Horsez 2 from Ubisoft
November: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 from Ubisoft
Dec. 4: Alvin and the Chipmunks from Brash Entertainment
Dec. 4: The Golden Compass(TM) from SEGA
Dec. 10: RIP: Death Volunteers(TM) from Telegames, Inc.
December: Diary Girl from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Jan. 15: Barnyard Blast from DSI Games
Jan. 21: Advance Wars(R): Days of Ruin from Nintendo
Jan. 25: M&M'S(R) Kart Racing from DSI Games
Jan. 31: Command & Destroy from DSI Games
January: Miami Nights from Ubisoft
Feb. 4: Professor Layton and the Curious Village(TM) from Nintendo
Feb. 12: New Zealand Story Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
Feb. 15: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
Feb. 19: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer from SEGA
Feb. 26: Bubble Bobble Double Shot from Ignition Entertainment
February: Imagine: Figure Skater from Ubisoft
February: Wild Petz Tigerz from Ubisoft
February: Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft
March 4: Disney Friends from Disney Interactive Studios
March 29: Ultimate Card Games from Telegames, Inc.
March: Insecticide from Gamecock Media Group
March: My Life Coach from Ubisoft
Q1: Eco Creatures: Save the Forest from Majesco Entertainment
Q1: Polar Bowling from MumboJumbo
Q1: Slingo Quest from MumboJumbo
Q1: Tropix from MumboJumbo
Q1: Polar Golf from MumboJumbo
Q1: River King: Mystic Valley from Natsume Inc.
Q1: Harvest Moon DS Cute from Natsume Inc.
Q1: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(TM) from SEGA

EA Buys Bioware

Bioware, the creator of games such as KOTOR and the upcoming title Mass Effect. At the moment, the future for Mass Effect is muddled, as no one is sure if it will remain a 360 exclusive. This all so may throw a wrench into the wheels of a possible return to KOTOR for pt. 3.

I'll put my bets that EA will publish Mass Effect as planned for the 360 only, then maybe port it to the PS3. This will defiantly change the way things run, as Bioware make some good games.

mSeliga

360 Goes 65(nm)

Microsoft has announced that they will begin development of a new 65nm ATI chip for the 360. Currently, the graphics chip is where a majority of the heat comes from. Microsoft is hoping this will lower the number of Red Rings and lower manufacturing cost. These new 360s will be out in August '08.

mSeliga

1.1.1 Blues? Not Any More

So your hacked iPhone was bricked after update to version 1.1.1 right? Well, seems as if its no longer a issue. iPhoneSimFree has released what they claim to be the first v1.1.1 unlocking team. They also have a app you can use to unbrick your iPhone. I'm sure that within a week or two, Apple will push out another update that will brick the iPhone. Then another two weeks then another successful hack. Welcome to the "iPhone Arms Race".

mSeliga

Vader Gaming FTW

Today, the Darth Vader PSP-2000 goes on sale. It features the iconic face of the villian from Star Wars and will go for about $169.99. Sources also point out, that it also comes with Renegade Squadron, a new Battlefront game exclusively for the PSP. You can pick it up at amazon.com, and a local retailer. From what I've heard, this will be a limited edition, so pick it up quick.

mSeliga

Bungie Says Goodbye

        

As I'm sure you already know, Microsoft has let Bungie Studios do there own thing. Microsoft officially no longer owns Bungie. Now before you worry about the Halo franchise or begin to cheer that Bungie will make games for the Mac, consider this.

Microsoft still retains the publishing rights for everything Halo. What this means, is that Microsoft could conceivably go with another developer if they so choose. Also, Microsoft still own considerable shares in Bungie, so they may be able to keep Bungie off the Mac for a while. Also, Bungie has announced that they are already working a new Halo game, which was the Peter Jackson game announced at E3.

While the Halo franchise will undoubtedly continue unabated, it is a interesting development considering Halo 3 made more than Spiderman 3 on opening day.

mSeliga

New 360 Bundles for the Holidays

After many months of speculation and many SKUs flying around, we finally got confirmation from Microsoft about bundles for the Elite and Premium. The bundles will go for the regular price. What are they bundled with? Two full games, Forza 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, both good games. This is a great value for any new timer to the 360 scene.

A side note. Although Microsoft announced what these two SKUs were, they didn't deny or confirm replacing the Core with a Arcade setup, which will come with multiple XBLA games already on your system.

mSeliga

ReadyBoost Works?

<OffTopic>So, I'm trying to get back into the blog, but between my Internet being off, Halo 3, and other stuff, I haven't had a chance to post. So, kicking off a new "ark", I'll discuss my experience with ReadyBoost.</OffTopic>

So I'm sure you've heard about ReadyBoost, Microsoft's answer to the nay sayers that Vista uses to many system resources. Microsoft said that with ReadyBoost, it will be able to act as additional RAM for your system. The recommend a 1:2 ratio for the system:cache.

So how did it fare? Well initially it was a bit difficult to get the feature to work. I had a older USB flash drive with 4GB of space. It took me about 10 reformats to get it to work, on account of Vista wanting a certain allocation space. After all of that, it only worked for a few days, so that was a bust.

I then recently got a new flash drive which claimed to be ReadyBoost capable. I ripped it out of the box and slapped it into my system. I immediately got a message asking if I wanted to use the device for ReadyBoost. Although I only have 1GB of RAM on my test system, Vista recommended I use all 4GB of space on the  USB drive.

I was skeptical about it working since Microsoft initially said a 1:2 ratio was optimal. I agreed and began to use a few programs. Launching apps was a bit faster, but not enough to make a difference. However, when using a open app, things did go considerably faster. I've been testing with different cache sizes, but it seems like 4GB is better than 2.

All in all, this a great but overlooked feature in Vista. Microsoft needs to raise awareness about this feature because it speeds up your system a good bit.

mSeliga