Yinzertainment

New Blog

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:55:00 +0000

I have decided to shift gears a bit with this blog. For starters, I'm going to change the name. I'm not sure what to just yet, but I have a few ideas. Second, all video game related posts will now be over at my new blog which is taking the title Yinzertainment. If that is the reason you came to this blog in the first place then head on over and check it out. As for this blog, it will be home to posts that are related to other, non-entertainment topics.

Google Stadium Tour: Giants Stadium

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:43:00 +0000

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Moving on to New Jersey, our next stadium is the Giants Stadium also known as the Meadowlands. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. Learn more at Wikipedia. Also check out my previous post on Giants Stadium for the Windows Live view.

Google Stadium Tour: Mellon Arena

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:51:00 +0000

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Our last stop in Pittsburgh, PA is Mellon Arena home to the Pittsburgh Penguins. For more information check out Wikipedia.

Google Stadium Tour: PNC Park

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:46:00 +0000

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Staying in Pittsburgh for our next stop, PNC Park is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates. For more info check out Wikipedia.

Google Stadium Tour: Heinz Field

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:37:00 +0000

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In addition to the Windows Live Stadium Tour I am also going to start the Google Stadium Tour. To start off I figured I would begin with Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. For more info check out Wikipedia

Lost: Via Domus

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:49:00 +0000

Well the first few reviews for Lost: Via Domus are in....and they are decent. Metacritic doesn't have a Metascore for it yet since there are only two reviews, but the average is a 73 out of 100. I'm not really sure why, but I'm kind of excited for this game. Maybe it is because Season 4 has put me back in the mood, or maybe I'm obsessed, but either way it is at the top of my Gamefly Que.

UPDATE: Well there is a Metascore now, it is currently at 58 out of 100.

Squidoo

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:00:00 +0000

For those of you who haven't heard of Squidoo, here is a how the creator Seth Godin describes it.

"Squidoo is a website hosting hundreds of thousands of handbuilt webpages (just to be difficult, we call them "lenses"). Each lens is one person's look at something online. Your take on football or business or the best thai food in town."

In other words, it is a site where you can voice your opinion about whatever you want. Each topic you decide to create a "lens" for is encompassed in a single page. There is no limit however to the number of different "lenses" you can have. Now here is the coolest part. Along with giving you a free place to build a page about what ever you want, you also get to decide what to do with the ad revenue from your "lens". You can keep it all for yourself, give it to charity, or keep some for you and give some to charity.

I have been creating a few "lenses" recently and I would like to share them here. I'm not claiming that they are anything special, but I am pretty happy with my progress so far. I will let you know of any major updates I make in the future. If you run a website of your own, or just want to get your opinion out about something you are passionate about, I recommend you create a "lens" of your own.

My Squidoo Lenses

The Best Lost Guide Ever
The Lost Experience Video Showcase
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time: The Greatest Videogame Ever
Ask BlueShirt

Video Games on TV

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:48:00 +0000

Well Spike TV is having their fourth annual Video Game Awards this Sunday December 9th. I haven't watched these awards in the past, but this year I have decided to check them out (likely days after on my TIVO). The reason I am interested though isn't to see who is going to win. I personally don't put a lot of stock in most awards shows because most of the time what really should win doesn't. My point in watching is to see what sort of production Spike pulls off. Since it is a show devoted to Video Games, my instincts tell me that it will be chalk full of corny clichéd punch lines and your standard stereo typical nerd fair.

Back when G4 was more about gaming, their shows were full of this type of nonsense that drastically degraded their product. Granted, I have watched my share of X-Play, but more because it was my best way to see games in action before they came out, not because I was enjoyed the show itself. The past few years however with the increasing quality of video podcasts, and websites centered around preview videos of games, I have seen no reason to watch G4 or any other show about video games on TV. Maybe, just maybe, Spike has learned from these mistakes and will provide a quality viewing experience more on par with the internet competition than the TV competition.

UPDATE: Long story short, I never watched the VGA Awards because my Comcast box decided to reset itself during the awards and my TIVO picked up a blank signal for two hours. I'm not sure if I should be mad at Comcast or thank them.....

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 01:21:00 +0000

Despite being 14 years later than most Castlevania fans would have liked, Konami has finally brought its classic PC Engine vampire hunter to the masses. Why it took this long to get new life outside of Japan is up for debate, but it was worth the wait. Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP reveals the entire story of Richter Belmont. Included on the disc are a 3D remake of Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, the original 16-bit version and the follow up masterpiece Symphony of the Night.

Symphony alone is worth the price of admission, but it must be unlocked in the remake. This is not a bad thing however as it gives you even more reason to play at least part of Rondo of Blood, which is the classic Castlevania formula at its finest. Whether you are a Castlevania fan or not, if you own a PSP, you need to check this out. With three great games packed into one disc, this should really be a no-brainer. Go get it and thank me later.

Lost Mobisodes

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:59:00 +0000

When I heard last week about the Lost Mobisodes starting this past Monday, I was pretty excited. I have talked about Lost on this blog before and it is by far my favorite show on TV (even though it isn't currently on). After watching the first Mobisode I'm a little confused. The only thing it seemed to reveal is that Jack already knew that his dad really cared, which seems odd with the way things transpired following that event. What else does it mean if anything? I'm curious to find out what other people think. Check out a preview of the Mobisodes here.

ProjectBWB

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:56:00 +0000

ProjectBWB is what I decided to name the project I have been working on for the past three months. I'm happy to say that I am 95% finished and should be unveiling the final product within this next week. I would have it finished sooner but I have visitors coming in for the weekend. Just to whet your appetite, I will tell you that this project is about video games. That's all for now.

Where have I been?

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:56:00 +0000

The past three months I have been working on a project in my free time. While I'm not ready to reveal it just yet, I am happy to say that I will be revealing it very soon. This blog will be the first place that I will release any and all news about the project until it is finished. What is it? Let's just say it is on topic with much of what this blog has been about. Back to work.

Windows Live Stadium Tour: Reliant Stadium

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:44:00 +0000

Reliant Stadium is home to the Houston Texans of the NFL. The Texans debut in the NFL was a 19-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in 2002. They were are the first and only expansion team in league history to win their debut. Reliant Stadium seats ~70,000 people and is located Southwest of Downtown Houston.

I'm Lost....

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:21:00 +0000

It has been over three months since the exciting season finale to Lost. With the new Fall lineup of shows starting soon, I feel a little, well, Lost without Lost. I know it will be back in February, but that will be almost 9 months since the season finale aired. Because of the long overlay, I have begun re-watching the first season. My hope is to make it through the first three seasons by February and so far I'm on track. It is very interesting as you notice different things this time around. I don't really want to give away spoilers, but things like when Ethan shows up for the first time don't go unnoticed now. Most of what I have noticed in season one has been foreshadowing, which is cool to see that they are still on the same path three years later.

New Poll

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:16:00 +0000

Since Blogger has added a new poll feature I have decided to test it out. You will notice on the right nav-bar there is a poll about upcoming video game releases. Take a second and let me know what you think.

More on BioShock

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:49:00 +0000

Well it is official, the critics love BioShock. I was checking out Metacritic today and BioShock for the Xbox 360 has a metascore of 97 based on 42 reviews. That is the highest rated next-gen game to date. Now for me it isn't totally surprising. I follow the games industry fairly close and everything I knew about this game leading up to it's release indicated it would be impressive. But this impressive is a surprise. This is the kind of feedback you would expect from Halo 3 or GTA IV, but BioShock? How many people who aren't fans of the System Shock games or that aren't shooter fans even knew this game existed before now? Probably not very many. Great review scores don't necessarily translate into great sales figures though. It will be interesting to see what the overall sales for August look like.

Madden 08 MultiReview

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:30:00 +0000

Since my post a few days ago comparing the Xbox 360 and PS3 frame rates for Madden 08, some interesting things have happened. First, more reviews have been released which gives us an in depth look into what critics think of each game. Second, GamePro posted yesterday that EA is considering Xbox 360 it's top priority over PS3 and Wii. To delve a bit deeper into this I have posted review scores for both versions of the game to get a better idea of how they turned out.

Source
MultiReview Score	87	81
1UP	90	85
Cheat Code Central	92	92
Game Almighty	72	68
Game Informer	80	80
GameDaily	90	80
GamerNode	90	85
Games Radar	90	70
GameSpot	85	85
GameSpy	90	80
GameTrailers	90	90
IGN	87	77

BioShock

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 02:42:00 +0000

I downloaded the demo for BioShock on Xbox 360 last night and I was very impressed. If you have an Xbox 360 and an Xbox Live account I recommend downloading it right now. It isn't a very long demo, but what you get is a nice look at the potential this game has. The graphics alone on the game are amazing, especially the water effects which are by far the most realistic I have seen to date. Expect to hear more about BioShock soon.

Windows Live Stadium Tour: Minute Made Park

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:14:00 +0000

Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX is home to the Houston Astros of MLB. Opened in 2000, the park seats just over 40,000 fans and is located just southeast of Downtown.

Madden 08

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:47:00 +0000

I haven't picked up my copy of Madden 08 yet, but I have already read a lot about it online. The thing that has caught my attention the most isn't the fact that the game is greatly improved over the past iterations, but the fact that the Xbox 360 version runs much smoother than it's Playstation 3 cousin. From everything I have read, the 360 version runs at a smooth 60 fps (frames per second), while the PS3 version is chugging along at 30 fps at best. While this same issue came up a month ago when NCAA Football 08 was released for both systems, it surprises me a bit how much more coverage this has received for Madden. If you are interested to see the difference check out the comparison video from GameVideos.com.

Movie of the Week 008

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:31:00 +0000

This week I have chosen 300 as the Movie of the Week. Adapted from the Graphic Novel by Frank Miller, the story follows 300 Spartan Warriors and their King Leonidas through the Battle of Thermopylae. For those of you who are unaware, the Battle of Thermopylae is a true story and it was part of the Greco-Persian War that started in 499 BC and lasted until 448 BC.

I have to admit that when the trailers for this began running on TV it looked like a mindless gore fest. But after hearing from numerous people that had seen it and enjoyed it I decide to give it a try. Unfortunately I missed getting to see it in the theater, but it looked pretty good on my 42" Plasma. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by both the acting and the story. Overall I would have to say that despite not having read any of Frank Miller's Graphic Novels, from what I have seen with this and Sin-City, they translate well into motion pictures.

Once

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 02:36:00 +0000

I'm disappointed to find out the I am unable to go see the movie Once here in Pittsburgh. I used to live in Madison, WI and was always able to see independent films such as Napoleon Dynamite and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Unfortunately Pittsburgh doesn't have a theater that carries independent films. To be honest I hadn't really heard of this film until recently but what I have heard has been very positive. Since I am forced to wait until it is released on DVD I encourage you to go and check this out if you are able.

Want to Make Your Own Website but Don't Know How?

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:04:00 +0000

Kind of a long title huh? Well I thought of a few others, but none of them made my point as well as this one. Anyway, you are here for a reason so I shall not drag on anymore. I recently discovered a few services that allow you to create your own website from scratch, without any experience. The first is called Weebly. This service allows you to create an account, build a page, host it with them for free or you can download the site and host it anywhere you like. You can do all this in a few simple steps that I guarantee anyone who has used the internet can figure out.

The second site is actually a Google service. It is currently still in the "Lab", but it is called the Google Page Creator. Much like Weebly, you can have a site up and running in a matter of minutes. While both are simple to use, I like Weebly's design better. My biggest issue with both though is a lack of good ad support. Weebly does have an AdBrite tool, but Google Page Creator doesn't have anything readily available. While I'm sure their are ways to edit the code to add this feature, it isn't something the average person is capable of.

So if you want to have your own website, but don't want to learn how to code HTML, or pay for the hosting check either or both of these services out.

Flight of the Concords on NPR's World Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (bwb1320) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I posted about the new HBO Series Flight of the Concords. At the time I really knew nothing about the comedy duo aside from their upcoming show. For those who don't know they have been doing this routine for a number of years now as both a comedy tour and a radio show on BBC radio. Now today as I was driving home from work listening to NPR, I caught part of the World Cafe in which they were the featured artist. I have to say these guys are really starting to grow on me. If you haven't checked them out yet I suggest watching their show on HBO or if you don't have HBO listen to their appearance on the World Cafe. They also have an album that was released in 2002 and they are planning to release a follow up this August.