Return to the Battlefield.

I used to play a lot of video games when I was younger. Sonic, Mario, Zelda, Megaman, and even Pokemon. Over the years I faded away from being a hardcore video gamer. The only series I still follow is the Legend of Zelda series. However, I am also a computer gamer. There is a difference between video games and computer games (well, that's how I feel about it). Video games are what you play on a console in a living room with friends, whereas computer games are played at a desk with your computer. The social aspect of computer gaming is primarily through online interactions. I may have faded away from video games, but I never faded away from computer games. My favorite genre is that of the first person shooter. It may seem violent, but it is really fun! Call of Duty and Battlefield are my two favorite PC game series. This post will focus on the next installment of the Battlefield series.

Battlefield is a series of first person shooter games created by DICE, and published by Electronic Arts. It all started with the WWII themed Battlefield 1942, which released in 2002. Honestly, I was never a fan of it. I stuck to my game at the time, Medal of Honor. I didn't get into Battlefield until the 2004 sequel, Battlefield Vietnam. There was something about the game that made it seem refreshing from all the WWII-themed games. My love for Battlefield deepened in 2005 when Battlefield 2 released. Battlefield 2 was a modern warfare game. Battlefield 2 was "the game" among computer gamers. It quickly became the benchmark for all computer builders and hardcore gamers. It had amazing graphics, and demanded a very fast computer. Luckily, I had just build my first computer earlier that year for running Call of Duty 2 flawlessly. The last Battlefield game to release for the PC was Battlefield 2142 in 2006. The game features a futuristic world that has been devestated by an ice age. A coalition of Asian countries are left to fight the European Union over what little land is left in the world. Battlefield 2142 is my favorite game in the series. I favor it because of all the mechanical improvements to the game, such as squad-based tactics. Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield Bad Company were two more sequels. However, they were never released for the computer. Instead they saw fame on the Xbox 360.

Flashforward to March 2, 2010. This it the day that Battlefield will make its return to the PC in the form of Battlefield Bad Company 2. It is a sequel to the Xbox's Battlefield Bad Company. The gameplay is a little different than the traditional Battlefield games, and I see it as a spin-off title. I know this, because I am one of the lucky people who have been granted access to the Beta(Betas are a somewhat completed game that are played by individuals to help the programmers fix any bugs before the retail release). It is a very fun game, and I can not wait to pick up my pre-ordered copy. I haven't had much time for anything besides school and work. However, I hope to make some time to play Bad Company 2.

iPass on the iPad

Apple announced a new product dubbed "iPad" on Wednesday. This is the long awaited tablet that has been under wraps at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino. The hype was everywhere. Every blogger frantically typed away during the big unveiling event. I must admit that I was interested in buying an Apple tablet. I changed my mind after the unveiling.

The iPad is basically an over-sized iPhone. Wait. No isn't. The iPad can't make calls, and it lacks a camera. Basically, this thing is an over-sized iPod touch. It even looks weird to me. It is not wide screen, which to me is a step backwards. A key issue to me is that it lacks a plug-in called "flash." Flash is what powers websites like hulu. I rely on hulu to watch my shows, and it would have been nice to watch them on a tablet. This is especially so on the iPad, because it houses a battery that will last for 10 hours. This battery is the only positive aspect of the iPad. I don't remember the last time I had nothing to do for 10 hours straight, but this device would handle it. The last issue I have with the iPad is that it does not run OS X. It is running the iPhone OS, and it looks silly. It literally looks like someone gave the iPod Touch Miracle-Gro. I will not be buying an iPad unless it receives a MAJOR overhal in its second generation.

Skipping school for video games

One thing I miss about being a child is the "sick days." Right now I have a cold and I would love nothing more than to stay home and sleep all day. However, this is not possible. Right now, as I type this, my brother is sitting in his room. He has decided to skip school to play Mass Effect 2, which is a video game that he bought last night for the Xbox 360. This is not a first for him. I have told him numerous times how "sick days" are not possible when he gets out of high school. So as he sits there playing his game, I wish I could stay home too and rest. I have things that must be done, and classes I must attend. I miss the time where I could stay home from school. The only time I skipped for a video game was when Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker came out in 2003. Later my friends tempted me to skip school for the release of Halo 3 in 2005, but I declined. Looking back I probably should have skipped for that game. It probably would have been the last time I could actually have a "sick day" over a video game.

More electronic woes...

I own a LG BD-270 model Blu-ray player, and it is has a split personality. Most of the time it is fine with playing all of my favorite movies. However, it has a dirty secret. It sometimes likes to shut itself off after 5-10 minutes of playing a movie. I would say that this happens around 40% of the time. I bought the player for $150 back in September, and now it retails for $99. I am beginning to research into other Blu-Ray players, because I get frustrated when it acts up. Though, the problem to that proposed solution is money. Is it worth spending around $150 for another Blu-ray player when my current player only shows symptoms around 40% of the time? This is the question that I have been asking myself during the past few weeks. As you may know, I am currently 5 seasons in to my "Lost on Blu-ray" re-watch. It seems like my player shuts off on every other disc.

Let me illustrate what has been happening. I pop in a disc, and await for the chance to hit the menu button to skip all of the previews. The menu loads, and I am finally able to start watching the movie. I finally get through all the opening credits, and then... blackness. The Blu-ray player shuts off. Sometimes the screen dips to black for a quick second, and then everything is fine. However most of time it goes to black, and then the player shuts off. I updated the firmware after this happened the first few times. This seemed to do nothing. Then, I noticed that the player gets extremely hot on the bottom. In an effort to relieve overheating, I placed it on top of a mesh rack sort of thing. This did not solve my problem, but it has helped to keep the player cooler when running. So, if this keeps happening I may be turning to a Sony Blu-ray player. After all, it would complement my Sony HT-SS360 surround sound player.

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February 2nd is a strange Holiday in the United States. The majority of Americans turn to a furry mammal to predict an end to Winter. However, there is something else happening on Groundhog's Day this year. Americans will be tuning into ABC to witness the beginning of the end for the television show Lost. The sci-fi/drama got its start on September 22, 2004. February 2nd marks the beginning of the 6th, and final season, of the show.

In my mind, Lost is one of the best shows ever produced. However, I did not get into the show until the second season. I heard the hype about Lost when it first premiered, but I was skeptical of a show based on people stranded on an island. My favorite radio program at the time, Drew and Mike on 101.1 WRIF, constantly hailed Lost as a fabulous show. I finally caved in and bought Season 1 on DVD during a sale at Best Buy. I was hooked after the first episode. I finished the season in less than three days. I quickly caught up on Season 2 by downloading it on a file sharing website. The purchase of season 1 had transformed me into a Lost fanatic. I have watched every episode sense in amazement. I do not think there is one bad episode of the show.

Random thoughts on the Apple Store.

Today I went to the Apple Store in Partridge Creek Mall to get my white Macbook repaired. The Macbook developed a crack in its casing back in October, and I felt that it was finally time to bring it in for the repair. The crack in the casing was located where the upper lid closes and meets the keyboard. This is a common problem with the plastic Macbooks, and it is the third time it has happened to mine. I bought my Macbook in June 2007, and it has gone through several repairs since then. Three of these repairs were with the cracking issue, but one other repair dealt with the logic board. The logic board on my Macbook shorted out after just three short months of owning it. Every problem I have had was quickly repaired at the Apple Store.

The Apple Store is a wonderful place. Today's repair only took 15 minutes. This would be impossible for a PC owner to accomplish at a big box retailer. I was able to play with the new iMacs while the Mac Genius repaired my Macbook. I bought my Macbook with the extended Apple Care warranty, and this has allowed me to receive free repairs ever since. The warranty expires this Mjavascript:void(0)ay, and looking back I believe it was a good thing to buy. I bought a Mac Pro Desktop this past September, and like the Macbook I also bought the extended warranty. I do not foresee my desktop going through the same abuse as a portable machine, but it is always eases my mind knowing a Mac Genius will repair it for free.

Avatar....

Avatar. Avatar. Avatar!! The world is in an Avatar frenzy. This movie seems to be sweeping the nation by storm. I must admit, I have not seen the movie yet. Perhaps, this might be due to all the hype. Just the other day I tuned in to my favorite radio station, 97.1 The Ticket. My favorite program was on, Middays with Karsch and Anderson. It seemed like they spent the entire show talking about Avatar. Almost every caller was calling in to talk about the movie. Several callers brought up the reason why I have not seen the film yet. This reason is the plot.

I don't go to movies just to see fancy special effects. Movies, to me, are all about telling a story. The story of Avatar, from what I have been able to gather, is simple. It is a recycled story seen in movies like Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves. Another reason to lack of interest in Avatar is the recent TV promo. "James Cameron will change the way you watch movies," the narrator states. To me this is complete nonsense. James Cameron is not going to be remembered as a revolutionary in cinematic technology. Mr. Cameron seems to have an ego as big as Jay Leno. This is especially apparent when he shouted "I am king of the world" during his Oscar acceptance speech for Titanic. From what I have gathered, the special effects in Avatar are amazing. However, I don't think they are going to proclaim Cameron as someone who will change movies.

Time is a final reason why I have not seen Avatar yet. I have a full time school schedule, and a part time midnights work schedule. I have yet to find any free time throughout the week. Over break I dedicated myself to re-watching five seasons of the show Lost in time for February's season 6 premiere. I have only made it to season 3, and I spend any of my free time trying to crunch out episodes of Lost. It seems Avatar will be a DVD rental for me.

My stance on Late-Night.

I fully support Conan O'Brien during this horrific time in his life. Jay Leno has had his time in the spotlight, and should be ashamed that NBC is going to be handing "The Tonight Show" back into his hands. Conan O'Brien, according to his own monologue, had always dreamed about being the host of The Tonight Show. His dream is now being crushed after only 7 short months on the air. Jay Leno is weaseling his way back to the glorified 11:35pm slot. TMZ has reported that this is now a done deal, and that Conan O'Brien has been forced to walk away from NBC. To me, this is bittersweet. I am angry that Conan has been put into this position. However, I am also for the fact that Conan may soon be on a rival network. I would love to see nothing more than Conan steal viewers away from the likes of Jay Leno. NBC and Jay Leno seem to have some kind of romantic connection with each other. When Jay retired from the Tonight Show, he was quickly given a prime time show at 10pm. This prime time show has flopped, and Jay Leno will more than likely be returning to his former 11:35 show. I take a stance supporting Conan's future endeavors as the NBC late-night mess chugs onward. I'm with CoCo... are you?