mikeszekely

Not that there's anything wrong with that setup, but I there's a few changes I'd consider making. Check if the applications you plan on using for modeling and rendering can take advantage of of the extra processing threads provided by a quad-core CPU. If they can't, save money and stick with a dual-core. Intel's Wolfdale cores are a great balance of price and performance. As far as hard drives go, I've never had a good experience with Hitachi, and they tend to be more expensive to boot. My personal choice is Western Digital, but I've never had a problem with Seagate. Finally, for the video cards, the important thing about nVidia's numbering gig is that the bigger number isn't always better. And 8800 outperforms a 9600. The first number indicates the chipset series, and it's actually the second number that's the indicator of performance, 4 being junk, 6 being mid-range, and 8 being performance. I'm assuming that the videocards are going to do a lot of work in that setup, so spend the extra money and upgrade those 9600's to 9800 GTX+'s. You'll get a lot more out of them, and they only run about $60 more per card.

Mmm... Convoy....

Around the time I hit 90, I'd kill all of my party except the one I was trying to level, then got to the floor of the core where the Behemoths were and kill them until that character hit 99. By then, you had so much GP that you didn't even have to run back to the save point... use your ethers, use your potions, then go to the merchant in the building with all the Namingways and buy Elixers.

Well, I hope you guys haven't been so taken with the thought of Chrono Trigger on the DS that you forgot that the Final Fantasy IV remake is out today. I picked it up, and I only played it up to the end of Mist Village. I'm a little disappointed that they didn't do more with the touch screen... seems like before they were doing everything they could to shoehorn touch screen stuff into games, meanwhile RPGs are the one genre that could really have benefited from it. I think the difficulty's been ramped up as well... defeating the Mist Dragon took longer than on the SNES or GBA versions, and I had to use four Potions to keep Cecil up during that fight, since the Mist Dragon's regular hits were wiping out 20-25% of his HP. The graphics are a step up from the Final Fantasy III remake's. Although the characters still have a super-deformed look, there's a lot more detail. Unlike Final Fantasy III, FFIV has cutscenes with voiceovers. They don't really add to the story, but it does help it play out a little smoother. Ultimately, though, the game is still very much Final Fantasy IV. The music is often ripped straight from the original, and despite the shiny 3D polish, it plays identically to the SNES/GBA version. While it would have been nice to get some new content (and there might yet be, since I really haven't played much of it yet), but since IV is my all-time favorite in the series, I'm not complaining.

I let it load my GBC saves, so I have all my old MS points, but I started new characters.

No comments on Geymark yet, as I've just started the 0088 Neo Zeon campaign. I am pleased to report, though, that the white Quebeley hasn't been nerfed in the slightest. All of your earned MS points carry over from Gundam Battle Chronicle, so I was able to quickly max its HP and main weapon, as well as taking its funnels up to the end of the yellow. I took out a Baund Doc in two regular shots, and with one special barrage took out Hyaku Shiki, Methuss, and Z Gundam. Hey, Keith, you haven't started the 0079-0087 campaigns yet, have you? Is it just me or are suits not unlocking when they did before? I mean, I know we're getting some suits we never had before, but I could have sworn you unlock Quebeley before the end of the Axis missions in GBC (it didn't unlock until I'd finished the last mission, using a Gaza-C HK, then I went back and did the A route with Quebeley). And I definitely remember getting the GP-02 after finishing the Delaz Fleet missions before, but I still don't have it unlocked in Universe.

According to my dad, who's been playing since he was 11, the easiest guitar to learn on is a Squire (essentially a budget Fender Stratocaster), which run about $250-$300, so the guitar still costs a bit more. And you'd still be missing an amp. But then there are people like me... my dad's tried teaching me to play, on both a Fender Strat and a Kramer American. Three times total, with three different approaches, and I still can't play. I just don't have the aptitude for it. But I still love music, and a game like Rock Band gives people like me a way to interact and connect with music in a meaningful way. I'm sure playing a real guitar is very rewarding; more so, in fact, than playing a video game. And if you've got the talent for it, then you've really got a gift. But for the rest of us, there's Rock Band/Guitar Hero.

Is there really any competition anymore? Neversoft understands the mechanics involved in the Guitar Hero games, but they've fuglied it up and drained all the soul out of the franchise. And that was just Guitar Hero III, mind you... GH Aerosmith isn't worth full-price. Back when GH was a Red Octane franchise, the original was like $30-$40. Harmonix, on the other hand, has devised an interface that's cleaner than Guitar Hero's, gave us a well-rounded track list, and not only made me feel like I was playing guitar, but like I was playing drums as well. So what if I can create my own songs in Guitar Hero? It's going to be a pain to do, and if it's like Frets on Fire, most of the user-created songs are going to suck anyway. Rock Band 2's giving us backwards-compatibility with our original Rock Band DLC, plus most of the songs in the first game. Yeah, I'll take Harmonix's lovingly-crafted Rock Band over Activision's shovel-ware cash-cow any day.

Holy cow! I'm only at 3205, and I've got a four year head start!

Don't know yet. I just started the Delaz Fleet missions. I'll know sometime tomorrow. I really hope not, though. It seems, though, that some suits like the Nu-Gundam (HWS) have specials that can almost hang with the Quebeley, though.

I think, for me, it's a sort of assumption based on one or two 0079 missions where A is really obvious, and you have to actually do something to get B. My brain thinks that if B is available, I should do it right away because it'll be easier to go back and do A. I can't finish the last two Extra missions. On the earth-based one, I was finally taken down when Xi and Penelope come out. On the space-based ground mission, I didn't quite catch what finally took me down, but it was after I took down the Hi-Nu. I was using the Nu Gundam (HWS) and I had Kamille for a partner using the Xi Gundam. My Nu (HWS) is tuned to 7000HP, 70 for both solid and beam defense, the maximum for its beam rifle's damage, and the maximum for the fin funnel damage. Rather than waste another 40+ minutes on it right now, I started another game, with the intention to play Zeon, Delaz, Axis, Neo Zeon, and Neo Zeon. I'll start a third game and play the Titans eventually, if I have to to unlock everything. Despite having some cool MS, they're just not as fun to play as the AEUG or Axis.

I played through from 0079 to 0093 (EFSF, EFSF, AEUG, AEUG, EFSF), but I was just cruising though, so I gotta go back and do all the A routes (for some reason, I did all the Bs). I'm not too worried about rank right now. I'll go back and try for the S's after I have a Quebeley. FA-Nu is WAY better than regular Nu, and the CCA missions were really rough. The GMIII and Jegan both suck, and the Re-GZ is passable at best.

Sorry to hear. I'd say come visit my local TRU, but I guess Allentown is closer to Philadelphia than Greensburg (that is to say, a little east of Pittsburgh). Then again, Greensburg's probably a good middle ground if you, Chowser (Cleveland), and I were all to hang out. And I think you two are the closest MWorlders to me.

Sorry. Bioware. Before WOW came out, it was already assumed it was going to be great, because everyone pretty much agreed that Blizzard makes great games. And I like Bioware games WAY more than Blizzard games. Neverwinter Nights is still my favorite PC game. Jade Empire was my favorite original Xbox game. And so far, Mass Effect is my favorite 360 game. I haven't watched any of the trailers or read anything on Dragon Age, and it's already on my "buy" list. Seriously, they could release a game without any trailers screenshots, or even a plot description... they could release it on a plain white box with "New Bioware Game" in Arial font, and I'd probably preorder it. I don't care that Bioware tacked MMO to their newest KOTOR RPG, and I don't care that the last Star Wars MMO was crap on a cracker. As long as Bioware's involved, not only am I assuming that it'll be good, I'm assuming that it's the greatest MMORPG ever, and will always be the greatest MMORPG until Bioware decided to release a Jade Empire MMORPG.

I'm just going to pretty much agree with what you just said. I was relplaying GBC recently, so while I do think they cleaned up the gauges and what-not on the HUD, I think the MS models look about the same. If you already have Gundam Battle Chronicle, congratulations, you own the same game twice now. Keep your save files, but feel free to sell your copy of GBC. That said, if you're really a Gundam fan or a fan of the Battle series, it's still worthwhile for the ZZ and CCA missions, plus the extra mobile suits. I mean, I decided to start at 0079, and my new favorite Mobile Suit for the EFSF 0083 missions might just be the GM Cannon II. On other difference I have noticed, BTW, is that named pilots have a tendency to power up and have a few moments of invincibility when they get low on HP. This can be problematic on some stages, as that pilot will flee the battle while invincible, and there's nothing you can do except watch them fly away with your S-rank. Still, I'm thinking it'll be fun to go back and play those missions with a more powerful suit later anyway.

It is Bioware you're talking about. That said, like the Duke, after a brief stint with WOW I've sworn off MMOs.

The movie toys have been out for over a year already, and every store I've been to is down to peg-warming repaints of characters that weren't even in the movie. They need to put them on clearance and get them out of there already.

I haven't see the new one yet, but in anticipation of it I went looking for the Blu-ray of Batman Begins. $24.99 pretty much everywhere, except Best Buy. It was advertised at $24.99, it rings up $24.99, but every copy at my local one had them stickered for $18.00. And these were Best Buy stickers, too, that read "BD Batman Begin" and the BB sku of 8880044. No getting around it, they honored the $18 price, so if you guys were looking for Batman Begins on Blu-ray, there ya go.

Quick heads up, guys. I was at Best Buy today, and while BB was advertising the Batman Begins Blu-ray at $24.99, every copy was tagged at $18.00. The stickers were Best Buy stickers, and clearly read "BD - Batman Begin" with the BB sku 8880044. The cashier seemed surprised and he had to get a supervisor to approve the price override, since it was ringing up for $24.99, but they were quick to honor the sticker price. So if you haven't added Batman Begins and, like me, you wanted to watch it in HD before you go see the new one, $18 at Best Buy.

It seems harder than the original or We Love Katamari. And all the levels I've been in look the same. I'd be disappointed if I'd paid full retail for it, but I'm not complaining for $8. They had some other games in the pile too, but I wasn't interested. You guys might be, though.

I drove around the local stores today, and it was pretty much a bust. Target was sold out of everything but Lugnut and the two packs. Wal-Mart had plenty of previous waves of Animated, but only Soundwave from the latest wave (which I did grab, but what about Snarl and Jazz?), and the Supreme Prime, which is really just a big, ugly Voyager Prime. Neither had Universe. At Toys R Us, they had some Activators, again none of the newest animated wave. And all the leaders were sold out. I saw one Prowl and one Sunstreaker left, no Octanes, and no new Universe. Unless you count the newest Robot Heroes, of which there were a truckload.

Okay, I went to Toys R Us looking for Transformers, but since they were picked over I stopped in their "R Zone." I wound up snagging Beautiful Katamari and Enchanted Arms for about $8 each.

Well, I'm hoping that if Obsidian does get to do a KOTOR III, they'd actually be allowed to finish it this time.

Hey, c'mon, Obsidian's not a bad company. They did just fine when they were at Black Isle, Neverwinter Nights 2 is good, and Alpha Protocol looks good so far. I'll grant you that they're no Bioware, but I think it's unfair to blame them for KOTOR II's problems. Lucasarts clearly wanted to rush KOTOR II out the door.

On the plus side, it's Bioware, and it's KOTOR. On the minus side, it's an MMO. Well, I guess it's up to Obsidian if we want a KOTOR III.