Looking to get your X-Com groove on, but you just don’t know if you can handle those old school graphics? Then check out UFO: Alien Invasion. They’ve just made a tech demo available for download and it’s available in Windows and Linux flavors.
Based on a heavily mutated Quake2 engine, you can play online with up to 6 players. And dig those screenshots! Too cool.
I’ll be downloading the demo and posting my impressions here.
And Now It Comes To This
I’ve been pondering a new computer for the last while. The machine that’s running this site is getting a bit long in the tooth (it’s a shade more than 3.5 years old) and I’ve been pining for a new Athlon64 rig. I have three basic choices: an eMachines T6000, a Compaq Presarrio 8000Z, or a custom made Gamer Ultra 6000 SE (64) from Cyber Power.
There’s three problems with these selections:
- I’ve never had good luck with hp/Compaq equipment. Taking a look at the specs of the 8000Z, it looks like they’re using good components and I could potentially get a great machine for a good price, but the fact remains that it would still be a Compaq.
- I don’t know anyone who owns an eMachines box. They are getting better and better reviews all around the ‘net, but I’m still not sure. They were just bought by Gateway, after all, and the mobo on the T6000 is an MSI that doesn’t appear to have dual channel memory support and definitely doesn’t have an SATA controller on it. Plus, I’d be limited to a subpar ATI Radeon 9600, whereas with the other machines, I can choose top-o-the-line GeForce cards (much, MUCH better driver support under Linux).
- I’ve read some negative reviews of Cyber Power’s customer support and response times and am a bit worried about getting the machine on time. Also, the other two machines have the advantage of free shipping from BestBuy.com.
Above and beyond all this, I promised my wife that I would get her a laptop before I get another machine. I’d like to balance her laptop between features and a decent price. Once again, eMachines sells the fairly attractive Athlon64-based M6805, as well as the less expensive Athlon-based M5309 and M5312. There’s always an iBook as well.
Any advice on these subjects would be most appreciated.
Linux & Mac UT2004 Demos
I played a bit of the Windows version of the UT2k4 demo the other day and I must say I’m very impressed. I enjoyed the experience highly and am incredibly tempted to buy the DVD version. EBGames seems to have it on special for $39.99.
Anyways, the Linux demo is available here and the accompanying slashdot story here.
Go forth, download and be fruitful!
Linux & Mac UT2004 Demos
I played a bit of the Windows version of the UT2k4 demo the other day and I must say I’m very impressed. I enjoyed the experience highly and am incredibly tempted to buy the DVD version. EBGames seems to have it on special for $39.99.
Anyways, the Linux demo is available here and the accompanying slashdot story here.
Go forth, download and be fruitful!
Uh Oh
A call to Brad:
You wouldn’t still have those X-COM install floppies from all those years back, wouldja?
‘Cause they would come in mighty handy in being able to play MULTIPLAYER X-COM.</drool>
Otherwise, it’s off to Gnutella to see what I can find…
Assorted Reviews
[Originally created a week ago and just completed/posted today]
I haven’t blogged in a while, so I thought I would run down some of the excellent media experiences I’ve encountered recently.
- Jak II. Extremely entertaining. Mix the first J&D game with some Grand Theft Auto and you have a compelling gameplay experience. It was so engaging, in fact, that my wife refused to let me play unless she could look on and backseat drive. *grin*
- Soul Calibur II for the Gamecube. I spent a good amount of time playing this over the Christmas break with my brother-in-law and was given it for my birthday by the in-laws. I’ve really enjoyed it and the single player mode, while a bit frustrating at times, really is worth playing, if only for all of the bonuses that you can unlock (in the form of bonus characters, new weapons and costumes). I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good, easily accesible fighter for any of the three major consoles. (I picked the GC version as my version of choice because it featured Link. I mean, how could I not?)
- Fountains of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers. Wow. I was absolutely floored by this album. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s upbeat, it’s witty, it’s catchy. I actually caught myself smiling involuntarily the first time I listened to the entire album. If you have any interest in “pop” music, I would rush out and grab this CD posthaste.
- Evanescence – Fallen. I received this one from my sister for Christmas. What a great disc! The fan reviews on Amazon apparently disagree with me. I’m not quite sure what they’re railing against, but it seems as if they don’t like it because it’s popular. Oh well.
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – Save My Soul. A good album, although nowhere near as good as their self-titled major label debut.
- Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash. This album is nowhere near as immediately accessible as the Jaxx’s past two albums, but give it a chance. It really has grown on me with repeated play. It has tracks reminiscent of Moby, there is a track that wouldn’t be out of place on a Portishead album, a track you could swear is a cover of a Prince hit, as well as tracks reminiscent of Deltron 3030. I recommend that you reserve your judgement on this disc until you’ve given it repeat listens.
DC 0.5 Is Out
Maybe I’ll finally be able to get my hands on the Fedora ISOs since Desert Combat 0.5 is out and all those bandwidth hogs’ll go from /.’ing Ibiblio to FilePlanet instead.
Starcraft: Ghost Announced at TGS
Blizzard announced Starcraft: Ghost at the Tokyo Game Show today. A console-only action title, it marks a radical departure for Blizzard. And, they stress, it’s not Starcraft 2.
w00t!
UPDATE: ShackNews has shots. Looks slick.
Greek Gaming Idiocy Continues
Just when you thought sanity had regained its hold on the gov’t of Greece, a court of appeals overturned an earlier ruling that threw out charges against the operators of an internet cafe. They were on trial for letting patrons play Counterstrike and (heavens no!) online chess games.
This story gets increasingly bizzare, not to mention stupid, with each passing day/further ruling.
Greece to Ban Campers, Lamerz, n00bz
What the…?
Greece, in an effort to fight illegal online gambling, has banned all video games. All of them. No Playstations. No computers. No Gameboys. No bleedin’ Snake games on your Nokia. All because the state apparently has no capabilities to distinguish legit games from illegal gambling machines/websites.
How insane is this?
If you’re going to the Summer Olympics in Athens, be sure to leave your Gameboy at home.
And no dice. They’ll be confiscated at customs along with your toenail clippers and umbrellas. Mmmmkay?