The Thrizzle

Long time, no blog....

2009-10-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

I know that if I had regular attendance on here, people would be pissed that I never post anymore. the facts of the matter are that I am unable to due to work, work, and more work. Soon to come, hopefully, will be more posts. About anything and everything. If you are a reader still out there, please don't give up.

Ammo Prices Only Raising!

2008-10-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Man! Ammo prices have been just going up with no relief in sight. This has really hurt. Meaning that picking up rounds right now is just not economical. I have lucked out recently with some people selling their reloads to me for a discounted rate. I just picked up 2,000 rounds of .223 REM for a little over $500. Before that, I picked up roughly 450 rounds of .308 WIN for $160. With my department that I work for, we too are seeing issues with the price of ammo since they want to move towards lead-free ammo. Its a great idea, but right now, expensive. Hopefully I will be able to reload all of the spent casings and save some money, but it is still getting more expensive. More to come....

UPDATE!!!

2008-10-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

So the long awaited day for my Springfield Armory 1911-A1 has finally come. At 11:00AM, I became the proud owner of a Loaded model. This is what I received:

(1) Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Loaded Model
(1) 8 round Kimber magazine
(2) 8 round Wilson Combat magazines
(2) 7 round Colt magazines
(1) 7 round "unknown" magazine
(1) Blackhawk CQC paddle Holster

This, again, was for trading my Sig Sauer P220R with magazines.

Thanks Kevin, it was truly appreciated!!!

On another note, teh FFL transfer from state lines is a little tedious, but not painful.

Lucking Out!

2008-10-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

So I totally lucked out by Outdoors Trader, I found someone who wants to trade my LE model Sig Sauer P220R for his Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Loaded.

Sig Sauer P220R LE Model in .45ACP

Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Loaded

More to come after the deal.....

Gotta love this site!

2008-10-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

So, who doesnt love craigslist? not many can say that they hate the social/ free site. SYou can find a lot on there for cheap, especially electronics, camping gear and even dating for those that do that. The one thing that they do not do is sell firearms and they are getting to make it hard to sell accessories, reloading gear, and or ammunition.

So here is where the story gets better. While on CL looking for stuff, I came across an Ad discussing the site Outdoors Trader. This site provides access to free ads of people wanting to get rid of their firearms, reloading gear, ammo , and more. It also provides information like something I never knew. If you want to sell private party with someone who is not of your state of residence, you have to go through FFL dealers to do so? If you do not and fill out a bill of sale, it is considered illegal by the ATF.

New Purchase!

2008-10-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

So after buying the reloading gear an getting the .38 SPC / 357 Mag. die set with it, it made me think that I might want to get a small carry version of a .357 Mag. So I did. I did a little research and found a nice small, affordable revolver. Its the Taurus 605 .357 Magnum revolver. Its been a good little gun and its nice for when I go hiking. I can carry two different rounds in it. The firearm is solid and from all of the reports is very dependable.

Adding more to the reloading library

2008-09-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

So I have been reading avidly about reloading and I also picked up some new die sets. I picked up a carbide die set in .45 ACP and .40 S&W and a normal set in .357 SIG/9mm.

More to come.

My New Endeavor

2008-09-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

So before I get into what the new endeavor is, I have to say that I am very pleased with this new site I ran into, Outdoors Trader. It was here that I found my new gear to start my new endeavor, reloading.

So, this is what I got for a steal....

(1)RCBS Rock Chucker II press
(2)Herters press
(3)Herters scale balance type
(4)Heaters powder measure
(5)RCBS primer pocket tool
(6) 2 RCBS deburring tools
(7) 1 RCBS hand priming tool
(8) 2 case lube pads
(9) 11 shell holders
(10) 1000 large rifle mag. primers
(11) 500 large rifle primers
(12) 200 small pistol primers
(13) 300 small rifle primers
(14) RCBS die sets for .38/.357; .243; .223; & 300 win. mag.
(15) 200 180gr 30 cal. bullets
(16) 100 220gr 30 cal. bullets
(17) 500 .38/.357 bullets
(18) 200 100gr 243 bullets
(19) 150 .38 spec. brass ready for reload
(20) 80 300 mag brass
(21) 20 .243 brass
(22) 3.5 lbs. IMR 4350 powder
(23) 1.5 lbs. IMR 3031 powder
(24) 1 lb. UNIQUE powder
(25) 1 lb. Hodgdon h-870 powder
(26) 1 lb. Accurate 2230 powder
(27) 1 13th issue of Speer reloading manual
(28) odds and ends brass, funnels, lube , tools etc.

This, if all bought now on its own, would be close to $1,000, but I got it all for $400. All I am needing now is a tumbler to clean the brass and I am set. I have an additional .308 die that I bought for my friend to reload for me that I got back. With having 2 presses, I will be able to re-size in one and seat bullets in the other. I am looking forward to this :)

More to come....

Wow.....I am kind of shocked and amazed...

2008-09-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well, i am back! I was at a Wedding 4 hours North of my location and man was that a great area. Anyway.... I got on the web to check on my emails and see what may be new out there and this is what I found:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

This is amazing to see.

2008-08-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

So I started a Flickr group called the Shooting Enthusiasts. Feel free to join when you get the opportunity.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/shootingenthusiasts__/

The New Thrizzle Blog!!!!

2008-08-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

So here is how it's gonna be from now on. I really do not play a lot of video games anymore, due to the nature of my work, so I will be posting more on firearms, reloading, new accessories, and adding pictures of various things. Sorry if this disappoints the few that read (>1%). More to come soon.

2008-02-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys, that is if there are readers, fro being absent for so long. I have made a transition of jobs and was out of town for a month and a half for training. But I am back and going to start to try and post more content. I mean, with the up and coming release of the next installment of the famed Gears of War coming, there will be trailers, news, etc....

So hang in and I will be posting more. Thanks!

Starting the New Year in Good Spirits

2008-01-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my 1sdt post of the new year and hope that this will be a year of great new chances, experiences, and gaming. I also noticed that I had a comment on one of the previous posts, which indicates that someone has read this blog other than I. That is kind of comforting, in a way.... :)

For the New Year, I would like to publish a post every other day, if possible. Though I will be out of town for the 1st 6 weeks of the this year, I will hopefully have my laptop with me. I look forward to hearing from all of you. Also, feel free to contribute anything at all to the blog.

Have a Great Year!!!!

What to do about Next Year's Games?

2007-12-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

With the new year approaching quickly, what are we gamers to do with the impending doom of new video cards, motherboards and standards of the game publishers?

The answer: nothing.

There is nothing we can really do. No matter what we do, it will only be a quick "fix" for the next game or operating system, or software.

MY recommendations for the up and coming year.

Make sure that the games that are coming out have a trend before thinking about upgrading. Meaning, if all of the games coming out have DX10 capabilities that require it to blow the game out of the water as Bioshock and Crysis were supposed to have.
Determine the age of the components you have now. Most games now, to get the best bang for your buck, need components that are approx no older than 1.5yrs old. If so, you made need to start thinking about upgrading.
Never let a friend pressure you into upgrading needlessly. Just cause your stupid little buddy with no concept of cash and savings upgrades every other day should not mean that you need to. It is unproductive and expensive.
Always look at the deals. There are some deals that are worth waiting for. The idea is to get your best bang for your buck. Remember that.

Gamers out there are not usually too impressed with people out there with the latest and greatest. Its those that are creative with what they have that impress. Also, skills, skills, and skills.

Merry Christmas.

Hacking, really worth it?

2007-12-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

So I play Call of Duty 4.......a lot, and I really am getting a little sick of the hacking and quite frankly punk buster sucks. On top of the constant message that my legitimate key is in use, it never blocks the haxors.....why?

A note for all haxors, you do know that skills are learned, not given. How about practicing a little more and quit acting like an idiot on the servers...

Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

The Unfortunate Consequence of Trying Out RC's

2007-12-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

So I am always up for trying some new things, like food, games, and even software. Well, with Microsoft, it has been hit or miss. With their beta release or RC of Vista, to their Windows Home Server, to lastly their service pack 3 for XP. You never know what your going to get.

With the release candidate for Vista, the usual disappointments were there at 1st. No driver support for most items, I had a hell of a time trying to get certain components detected or working properly. Second was the compatibility of older programs with the newer operating system. Some software worked great for awhile and then just shutdown with exception errors....this proved to eb the biggest problem of them all for me. And lastly, the hardware upgrades that were necessary for the launch of Windows Vista. My current system at the time of the test passed, but not by much and the video card would have worked, but not with the DX10 functionality....which will not suit me when DX10 games come out (at the time).

Windows Home Server was a whole new thing to me. I usually just had a machine running a copy of XP and had it networked as shares for me to use as storage. In the case of the Windows Home Server, it gave you back up software that was easy to use and pretty self explanatory. On top of that, it allowed me to have it for all of my systems with connector software. Anyone on the network could pull or upload to it. making for a great system to have. Currently, I have had no issues in the installation process and or the maintenance of the system, thus proving to be a good solid system so far.

Lastly, is the the dreaded Windows XP Service Pack 3. This little gem, according to Microsoft, was supposed to improve efficiency by upwards of 10%. No so much the case for me and my systems. In fact, during boot-ups, my experience have been much longer and I have not seen any optimization of network processes or hardware detection. This, so far, is not what it has been toted to be and is a flop in my eyes. Only time will tell when the full service pack comes out.

Update on the COD 4: MW 1.4 Patch

2007-12-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

So with the new patch out, which, mind you, was a pain in the @55 to get, I have had soemt ime with it now and must say that the Christmas map is actually kind of disturbing and funny at the same time. Being that I am not much for the holiday and not particulary religious to boot, I thin k that when you have a multi-player map that has Christmas presents and Santa saying his traditional "Ho, Ho, Ho!" during an air-strike is both funny and disturbing.

I will say that is does make for a better map for the following reasons....

1) It takes place at night, a better time to be stealth.

2) It provides snow at the same time and creates a distraction for those that are trying to snipe.

3) Lastly, still has the same feel as the rest of the maps, except shipment, which is just horrible.

Well, there you have it. My take on the map.

My Rant on the Orange Box Set

2007-12-20T22:49:00.001-08:00

So for the people that see no light of day or have l;ived in a cave for the last ten years, this year, there was the release of the orange box. The orange box, which included games like Counter Strike (a personal fav. of mine), Half Life, Half Life 2, Half Life Episodes 1 & 2, Portal, and the much awaited Team Fortress Classic. The crappy thing is that you had to buy them all in order to play any of the games, right? Well, when you have almost all of them, it seemed like a dumb thing to do, at least in my eyes.

So in order to get my fix of the games, I decided to borrow a buddy's copy for XBox 360 and give it the ole' college try. In doing so, I discovered that I felt that the orange set was a total waste. I didn't like the team fortress classic at all and I had all of the other games except portal. Where my gripe is is that everyone and their grandmother was praising this..... why?!?!?!?!?! I mean, I love the Half Life games, they are a great mixture of FPS and puzzles. But what is the hype over TFC? Seriously? The animation sucks and the I was bored with the game play. Plus, this kind of game seems like it would be better on the PC rather than the console. In the end, I could not justify paying for the almighty orange box. Thanks but no thanks.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas II Coming Soon!!!

2007-12-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

So for all of you out there that loved the Latest Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Game, Vegas, you should be happy to see that the game we all loved is going to be releasing its sequel in possibly in March 2008.

Below, I added the trailer. Watch, enjoy, cry if you must.

The New Duke Nukem Trailer Released!

2007-12-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

3D Realms, the designers behind the more recent Duke Nukem games, have released a trailer for their newest Duke Nukem project: Duke Nukem: Forever.

Anticipated for a 2008 release, this game is has been seen with mixed reviews. Some thrilled to see the bulky star coming back to make sure that the evils of outer space "get some", but mostly, people think it may be a little too late for the return of the hero.

Despite the criticisms, I was a huge player of the games growing up and loved them. I loved the nudie girls, the bloody carnage and the witty phrases. I would like to see more of the game play in the trailers, but we will see, right? When more detail comes, I will update the post.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Patch 1.4 is Out!

2007-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

12/20/2007 Activision released patch 1.4 for its newest Call of Duty game. in this patch, the following fixes were made:

"Winter Crash", a holiday version of Multiplayer map "Crash"
Improvements to the server browser
Fixed some rare bullet accuracy issues for all weapons.
For server admins: fixed user ban list not working correctly on servers. Ban.txt will be created in the main or fs_game directory

MOD SUPPORT:
In the connect screen, Mods will be identified as"Mod: [mod name]"
Only official IWD files will be read from the main directory. All custom IWD should be placed in a mod directory.
Fix for reloading several times after connecting to a modded server
Improved mod.ff support to allow adding game types.
Fixed an issue with Http redirect downloads.
"fs_game" will be forced to lower case*

*Information brought to you by Activision.

Download Link (provided by Gamershell)

Devil May Cry 4 Game Coming Soon!

2007-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

From an informant, there is a new game in the Devil May Cry franchise. According to the informant, the game has a story of betrayal and deceit.

From the preview that the informant talked about, the look and feel is rich with color and vibrancy. Having played the previous games, makes me want to see it and play it. I look forward to it.

Crysis Hardware Requirements

2007-12-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

I will say that the game of the year (at least in my opinion) does eat away at your system's resources like a starvin' Marvin, but lets also remember, you still can get great success from your system and the game without having to dish out the 5 Grand to Alienware for a 3 SLI graphics card setup. SLI Zone Gizmodo

There has been a lot of commotion on the inter-web about this issue since the game developers may be in the pockets of companies wanting the consumers to upgrade to their products. We saw this with Tom Clancey's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) and the use of a physx card. From all of the reviews, there have been very few that insist that this is necessary for the ultimate game play. Also, take one of the largest software companies in the world tried to do this with their newest operating system, Microsoft's Windows Vista. The bringing of this new shiny new OS was supposed to help MS get their handle on those thinking of joining the Apple arena. It has caused grief and financial loss for the giant.

With game publishers using their landscape as a advertisement ground, how long before subscriptions are necessary, oh wait, they already are. Take Steam. Steam is a product that allows its users to install their games on their computer and or use them anywhere a internet connection is found. Now, since its inception with the ground breaking Half Life 2, this platform has grown exponentially and now carries almost all of the biggest games. There is also security form game makers when they use Steam. They can be rest assured that the game is not being copied with the key. Each key is specifically connected to the account bearer. And lets say that you do not want to hold on to all of those pesky boxes that collect from the games you buy, you can purchase and download all of the games online. It will keep all of the records for you. Keys and all!

Finally, the point I am trying to get to is that no matter what is said or protested, companies will try to get you to upgrade, advertise, or even adopt security measures. That is the nature of progression in the technology field. With the new inventive ways to get more frames per second (FPS), or optimize virtualization with multi-core processors, the future will change all of the time. Trying to keep up with it is a spendy journey that will result in disappointment if you think you will find the be all to end all.

Crysis

2007-11-30T23:44:00.000-08:00

The newest game to come from EA Games, is Crysis. The game is based on a futuristic setting with a Spec. OP Team that is called in to help rescue researchers from a island in the south pacific from the Korean Army.

What I truly am happy with this game is that the game resembles so much of FarCry and great budget game, brought to us by the same creators. It incorporates a similar setting (the island) and this mercenary army that you need to defeat. On top fo that, the physics and the overall settings are great. The idea of on the fly modding of your weapon is great. Having an assualt rifle that you can add a grenade launcher or a scope, or even a silencer is pretty cool. Another bonus is the ability to take your armor and add more strength, agility, speed, even cloak! All pretty cool and they do come in handy at times.

The story, as some might say, is not bad, but could have had a little better explanation. Being a spec ops solider on an island trying to rescue some scientists is not new and is kind of ambiguous. None the less, I felt that the game play was smooth and the features made this one of the best games of the year, beating Bioshock by leaps and bounds. Good job EA!

Age Restricted
Site

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

2007-11-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day for the release of the newest installment of the action shooter, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The difference with this version is that this is set outside of the WWII genre of first person shooter games. There have been a number of really good reviews, I only hope that that is correct about this game.

**UPDATE**

Having been able to play the game now all of the way through, it was awesome, despite the shortness of the usual long game play typical of the earlier call of duty games.

Some of the great new things in this game that are picked up in more recent present day titles is the use of night vision, which is not as easy to pull off as you might think. The weapons, which there are a number of them are well done in their skins and their sounds. As for the accuracy, as a friend has pointed out to me, is a little too good. When you fire an automatic rifle, you loose a tremendous amount of accuracy and for some reason that accuracy is still held in some of the firearms in this game.

One of my favorite parts of the game is the sniper episodes. They use some of the best newer firearms like the .50 cal Barrett which is a wonder of a rifle. On top of that you get to use some M1A rifles, a hopeful for my future collection. I do enjoy these types of games that allow you to play a little recon, a little support and a some assault.

The downfall of this game is that the ending came too quickly. I really am unsure as to why Activision didn't have a title, like this one, lasting much longer on the campaign modes. I beat the game in a few hours and that was with little effort. If Activision is reading, please understand that all of the bells and whistles are great, but here is the thing, if you do not allow for a longer game time, we move on and do not buy your titles again. Especially of you play games that your putting out like Solider of Fortune: Payback.

Overall Verdict is I would still buy it of I hadnt already. It was fun and I still play the arcade modes.

Age Restricted
Site

Rock Band

2007-11-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

Rock Band, a new game by the makers of Guitar Hero have taken it further. With Guitar Hero, you were able to simulate the chords of a song from numerous eras. In Rock Band, not only do you get to do the chords on a Guitar (a Les Paul of all guitars too!) but also a drum set, a microphone (yes you can sing too) and if you have another guitar, like a guitar hero guitar, you can add that too for a bass. With the powers of the accessories combine, you get a rock band.

This allows for a fun mixture with friends who can create their own band that plays great songs like Nirvana’s “In Bloom”, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, Queens of the Stone Age’s “Go With The Flow”, Foo Figthers’ “Learn to Fly”, The Hives’ “Main Offender”, Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, The Strokes’ “Reptilia”, The Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach”, Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So”, David Bowie’s “Suffragette City”, Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”, Stone Temple Pilots’ “Vasoline”, Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”, The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and plenty more!

Now, since I am a total n00b at this type of game, I played it a friends house for a couple of hours and was hooked from the start. I never really was into guitar hero since I was sick of an ex-gf who played it all of the time. With this, I was able to play all the other parts and really got into it. Plus, how could you not like the play lists in this game. This was my kind of game. Thats not to say that the Guitar Hero games didn't have good music, I just needed to get this game 1st. I may try and tackle the Guitar Hero games if I can find a game and controller for cheap. now you might ask, why get another controller if you have the one guitar.....well folks, its cause they are not compatible....thats right, they are not.

With the cost, Harmonix was lucky I purchased it. But I feel that it was well worth it. I recommend this to any good rock loving person, especially of they love the Guitar Hero line of games.

Platforms: XBox 360, Playstation 3

Site

Solider of Fortune: Pay Back

2007-11-29T23:29:00.000-08:00

Well, when you hear that a game is banned form being played or even owned in a country like Australia, you think, this has to be a great game, right???? I guess not. Welcome to Solider of Fortune: Payback, the craptacular game of 2007.

Now, I was a huge fan of the 1st 2 Solider of Fortune games that were highly rated (at least the 1st of the 2) and were quite graphic in nature. With the heads being blown off, the blood spurting, and the limbs flying, these games were seen as the worst, most violent games for a kid to play. On top of that, the actually look and feel of the games were nice. In the latest, we lose the main character, Jon Mullins and are brought a new person. before I go any further, this game just sucks and should not be known as a SOF game.

On top of bad graphics, the physics and the realism was shot form the beginning. and being a Activision title, like its predecessors (Quake IV, COD, and various other action titles), this is nothing like it's cousins. The heat being dispersed from the firearms and the fires is ok at best the skins on the models is what gets me. From the 2 previous games, you see such detail being placed into the people and the environment, and I put the settings at their max and it was horrible.

With that said, I do not recommend anyone getting this title. I would say to get the older versions of SOF and play those. It is a shame that this is what happened to the game series. I hope that if this is not the end of the game series that they wire up and try to at least make it somewhat playable.

Platforms: PC, XBox 360, Playstation 3

Age Restricted
Site

BlackSite: Area 51

2007-11-28T23:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I will say that if anyone who has had time to play this game, for any of the platforms, will tell you that this is a terrible game. Having purchased it for PC, I tried playing it a couple of times and really, the game is very arcade like. Meaning that the game would be better played with a hand full of quarters at the bowling alley than on the home PC. The graphics, even at their maximum are mediocre at best and the story is old and sketchy.

The game's premise is that you start off in the middle east as a solider on a mission to stop chemical warfare. From there, you go to military installations and fight middle easterns. Eventually you start to fight people mutated and then eventually aliens.

The one good thing is that if you do not mind a game that takes little to no creativity, than I suggest taking this one on. It really is a game for people not worried about

Site

New FPS Games Coming!!!!

2007-11-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

So, for those that are pretty up on the games out there, whether they be PC, Xbox 360, Wii, or Playstation 3, there are a bunch of First Person Shooters (FPS) coming on to the scene.

Clive Barker's Jericho (Now):
"A supernatural horror action game with a story devised by the master mythmaker, novelist and filmmaker Clive Barker. Mingling the darkest elements of Barker's horror fiction and films, Jericho deals with the mysterious reappearance of a lost city in a remote desert. When a form of evil that goes right back to the dawn of days resurfaces from there, a Special Forces squad, trained in both conventional warfare and the arcane arts, is sent in. Their mission: hunt down and destroy the evil that lurks at the heart of the city before it destroys humanity." (Gamestop)

Timeshift (NOW):
"Dr. Aiden Krone has made a Time Jump across the space-time continuum – a reckless act with frightening consequences. Now, a disturbing alternate reality has evolved within the bleak and rain-soaked Alpha District. Armed with the experimental Beta Suit, you alone are able to slow, stop and reverse the flow of time. Only with this ability can you lead the uprising to victory and put an end to Krone’s madness."(Gamestop)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare(11/05):
"Armed with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower, players are transported to treacherous hot spots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world. As both a U.S Marine and British S.A.S. soldier fighting through an unfolding story full of twists and turns, players use sophisticated technology, superior firepower and coordinated land and air strikes on a battlefield where speed, accuracy and communication are essential to victory. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multi player action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable game play."(Gamestop)

BlackSite: Area 51(11/05):
"BlackSite: Area 51, developed by Midway Studios Austin, is a next-generation game that will redefine the first person shooter (FPS) genre. While other FPS titles claim to feature "action-packed, highly realistic gameplay," BlackSite: Area 51 takes next-gen gaming to an all-new level integrating cutting edge technology, game design and story writing to create the ultimate entertainment experience. The player's modern-day emotions and fears are driven into a world charged with grave responsibility affecting lives hanging in the balance and eventually finding himself torn between his professional orders and his own ethical standards. In the end, only the actions of the player and his squad can shape the outcome of BlackSite: Area 51 during this potentially pivotal moment in history." (Gamestop)

Solider of Fortune: Pay Back(11/13):
"Soldier of Fortune Payback is the long-awaited third installment of the Soldier of fortune video game series. The saga continues with the organization know as The Shop where players take on the role of a hired mercenary. Players will experience all the thrills and dangers of authentic mercenary combat blasting their way through high intensity combat situations in the world's most dangerous hotspots in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Using any means necessary, players will need to uncover a complex plot and defeat an extremist organization determined to throw the world into global conflict. Failure is not an option." (Gamestop)

Crysis (11/13):
"As tension rises between the two nations, a massive alien ship reveals itself in the middle of the island. The ship generates an immense force sphere that freezes a vast portion of the island and drastically alters the global weather system. Now the US and North Korea must join forces to battle the alien menace. With hope rapidly fading, you must fight epic battles through tropical jungle, frozen landscapes, and finally into the heart of the alien ship itself for the ultimate Zero G showdown."(Gamestop)

This is the Christmas of shooter games for us gamers! Game on!!!

TimeShift

2007-10-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well, today (10/31/2007) is the day for TimeShift and anyone who looked at the video preview must know that this looks freakin sweet! I am going to go and pick up my pre-ordered copy from Gamestop and install it. I cant wait, I will let you all know or at least update this post when I get more info about it. See you soon!

Update!!!!

So I have had some time to install and play soe of the game. I will say this, the wait was well worth it!. The rendering that my BFG 8800GTX is cranking out is amazing! The detail of the water, the sounds, the physics of the game all make this a sweet looking and feeling game. I alos like the time shifting. You get to choose to slow down time, speed it up, or freeze it. Freakin sweet!!!

So in the earlier post of new games coming soon, the story is that this scientist kind of goes loco and takes one of two time jump suits into the past. From there, you grab the other and slip through time. The videos on this are highly detailed and I think does this game all of the justice out there.

My overall opinion of the game, (NOTE: I have not completed this game, so my opinion is able to change) is to definitely get! Just amazing! So far, Crysis, this game wil have you running, you better pull out all of the big guns!!!!

Age Restricted
Site

Medal of Honor: Airborne

2007-10-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

The latest installment of the franchised game, Medal of Honor, this game gives you a little more of a twist than the average WWII shooter does. Brought to you by EA Games, makers of the Battlefield series and the newest Crysis, shows us another historical view of what some of our soldiers did during WWII that allowed us the upper hand advantage in the European war front.

One of the fundamental twists that this game allows is that the weapons you use get modified once you have hit a quota of kills with that weapon. So, with the American firearms, you have the Springfield Sniper rifle, Springfield M1 Garand, the Thompson Machine Gun, the Colt 1911 and the Mossberg Shotgun. Each has roughly 3 upgrades. Even the grenades have upgrades too.

I have played this on both the Xbox 360 and the PC and have to say that I was a little disappointed with the lack of difference between platforms. Generally, there is usually a small difference, but in this case, they are identical. With that said, if you decide to purchase this game, make sure to decide on the platform that best suits you. In this case, I preferred the PC, and it runs great. Since I am a huge fan of that era of games, I recommend it. If not to play multi-player mode, but to play the campaign. I really enjoyed it. I wont ruin it, but it could also be a little longer.

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360

Site

Rainbow Six: Vegas

2007-10-30T11:45:00.001-07:00

Take all of the Rainbow six games and give it a boost of adrenaline, action and some amazing rendering and you get the greatest RS game ever. I really like to say that this happened due to the partnership with Ubisoft, creators of FarCry, Assassin's Creed, and Splinter Cell: Conviction. Here, you work in a squad based FPS environment as the leader of a Rainbow Six squad.

Like a number of games now, you can choose your equipment, add additional accessories for your weapons, rate of fire and even if it is silenced or not (dependent on the weapon). What I like is that there is a large number of items to choose. I like to change it up each and every time I play the game.

The story is not too complex and not too original, but it is good none the less. I have only read a few posts out there that seem to be disappointed with the story. Another thing is that any and all action games has terrorism linked to it now. Especially Tom Clancy games. Anyone who has ever read a book from this author should be well aware that he is all about espionage, secrecy, terrorism and national security. The good things is that he is good at it, the bad: it can get old after time.

The game play is kind of nice. You get two viewpoints in the game. You get the main one and that is the FPS, but what is nice is the crouching, the cover, and the stances where you get the third view point is nice especially when you can still aim. There was definitely a lot of work put into this game and I feel it is an awesome game. It really stands out.

One thing worth noting is a multi-player option. You can go on a Terrorist hunt and co-op it. I tried this with a friend and we spent 6 hours playing! It was a lot of fun that can be done LAN or online.

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable (PSP)

Site

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

2007-10-30T00:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the next chapter in the Quake games brought to you by Activision. "Experience the ultimate team and mission-based online warfare, defined by the acclaimed Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, now set in the legendary QUAKE universe. Choose to play as the human Global Defense Forces or the invading alien menace, the Strogg. Each side has distinct classes, vehicles, and weapons to choose from, giving players countless ways to join the battle." (Gamestop)

My Opinion of the game is favorable, only because I was a huge fan of the Battlefield and Quake games. This is merely a Quake version of that line of games, as I see it. Now, with that said, we will see how this pans out for Activision, but I do not see how this will take or break EA Games. The visuals are OK, and the audio is above average. As for the ease of use, I had to tweak the controls a bit in order to feel comfortable in the game. I would say that this is a one game that could be passed up, especially with some of the newer games that are coming out like Crysis and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Age Restricted
Site

BioShock

2007-10-29T21:56:00.001-07:00

Want a game that is nothing like any other game you have played before? Want a game that lets you customize? Want a game that takes your visual and audion senses for a whirlwind of a trip? Search no further, for BioShock is your game.

Brought to you by 2K Games (Site), developers of games like The Darkness, Jade Empire, and The Dungeon Seige Games. BioShock is one of the 1st games to be using the Direct X 10 software for the Windows Vista line of Operating Systems.

"BioShock is the "genetically enhanced" first person shooter that lets you do things never before possible in the genre: turn everything into a weapon, biologically mod your body with plasmids, hack devices and systems, upgrade your weapons and craft new ammo variants, and experiment with different battle techniques. You are a cast-away in Rapture, an underwater Utopia torn apart by civil war. Caught between powerful forces, and hunted down by genetically modified “splicers” and deadly security systems, you have to come to grips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. No encounter ever plays out the same, and no two gamers will play the game the same way." (Gamestop)

My Opinion of the game is simple: It is good, but it got boring after awhile of the same old stuff. Now the story is not bad and the game play continues the same way through the game, but it doesn't get better until you think you've made it to the end to find out that you have a long way to go. The fact that you can customize your weapons is kind of cool. Not to mention, you decide what way the game goes. You can go the route of the guy getting the job done, or you can be compassionate...either way you go, you never get the same outcome.

The details of the game are amazing and the environment is truly a work of art. Seeing the way the water and the fire work with the system is something to gaze on In the end, I would say that this is a game that any FPS player should at least try out.

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360

Age Restricted
Site

Clive Barker's Jericho

2007-10-29T21:01:00.001-07:00

So as you read in the post about new FPS games coming, Jericho was the most recent of the games to come out. Brought to us by Codemasters (site), those that brought you Dirt and Overlord, we are immersed into a world of detail and horror.

From the creative mind of Clive Barker, evil is given a gruesome appearance and feel. The game is started with a team brought to the Middle East at a ancient location. This team, comprised of 7 intriguing an gifted individuals. These inidvudals are apart of a special team that combat the supernatural. Some of the talents that are held are astarl projection (the ability to project one's self image), a pyromancer (conjure fire), a psychic, and a reality hacker among other skills.

The style and feel of the game are, like most (FPS) games, the same. But as for the look and the detail, it is up there with Bioshock in my opinion. Now, I am not saying that this is a lot like Bioshock, but it has a great physics (PhysX thanks to Ageia's contribution to the project).

One of the key details, which will require a little game play to get to this point, is the ability to play all of the team member's roles. This does give the game a strategic upper hand over the majority of FPS games out there.

My overall opinion of the game is that I really like it. I love reading Clive Barker's books and watching his movies. This is a unique experience to know apply the reading and watching with your input. Codemasters did a fine job in the skinning of the game, the environmental aspects and sound given to all of the eerie objects in this game. i recommend only to the mature crowd and those that are not squeamish.

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Age Restricted
Jericho Site