Continual Randomness

Friday, July 27, 2007

At the Beach

I'm at the beach this week. I really should post more often. But I don't really care. Is anybody really out there?

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Here are the winners of the Thrid Annual STAR Awards. Congrats!

Best Console of the Year
Xbox 360
-While 2006 saw the launch of two new systems, the 360 easily takes the cake this year with a lineup that has rarely been seen. From ESIV:O, Dead Rising, RS: Vegas, to the epic GoW, the only console that even comes close is the Wii; which, while very good, just didn't have the same level of momentum.

Standout Device (New)
Vision Camera
-Surprise, this year's winner isn't an iPod. It's not even a music player. Heck, it's not even portable. But that's OK, because seeing my face in Vegas is just so cool. The Zune, despite it's shortfalls, is a distant second.

Best Online Game
Gears of War
-GoW is simply a game that may change the way we play online. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so special, as it's more of all of the forces working together to make one hell of an experience. GRAW takes a distant second, for its revolutionary team work requirements.

Best Offline Game
Dead Rising
-While I really like the others in this category, and I admit it was a close call, Dead Rising really was the most fun I had while playing SP this year. It really did reinvent a style of gaming that I had forgotten since 2002, when Live came out. Honorable mention goes out out to Zelda for, well, being Zelda done right.

Best Orignal Title
Viva Pinata
- I've never played anything like VP before, and it's just so much fun. No other title took such a unique premise this year and made it fun to play. In a world full of sequels, this category is made to only include new games, and VP is a perfect game to get its first win.

Best Continuation Title
New Super Maio Brothers
-Not that there's anything wrong with sequels, if they are done right. And there can be no other game franchise that knows how to make a good sequel than Mario. This game on the DS really changed the way Mario was played, for the better. Honorable Mention goes out to (gasp!) Madden 07, ONLY ON THE WII, for its innovative use of the controller.

Best Graphics
--caption award

Best Gameplay
Dead Rising
- Call me crazy, but I loved the time structure of Dead Rising and its save system. Add to that chainsaws and zombies, and you don't get much better gameplay. A close second goes to Gears of War, for almost being more than a game.

Best COntrols
--caption award

Best Star Wars Game
Lego Star Wars II
-Unfortunately not a big choice this year; however, Lego Star Wars II is an excellant game and worthy of this award.

Console Bests
--caption award

GOTY
Gears of War
-This years game of the year was a hard pick. Wait...no it really wasn't. I've played GoW by far more than any other game this year, and that's do to one reason: it's a blast to play. Period. It's innovative and fresh, and has the best graphics to date, anywhere. I'm ready for GoW2.

Best Developer
Epic (Gears of War)
Nintendo (New Super Mario Brothers, Zelda)
- I know it sucks to have a tie, but I just can't only honor one. On the one hand, Epic did something truly great with GoW, and continues to support it with free content that rocks. On the other, Nintendo has basically changed the video game world this year with dominance of the Wii and DS.

Best DLC
Live Arcade: Small Arms
- Small Arms has made me think twice about what Live Arcade can do. I seriously considered nominating Small Arms for Game play, but it is definatly worthy of this award. A distant second is UNO, do to both it timing (remember the counter?) and the fact that it was fun, plus it added Vision support.

Moive of the Year
Little Miss Sunshine
-OK, my movie choices are a tad off, but the winner is the best movie of the year. LMS rocked as a perfect combo of National Lampoon meets Sideways: two of my favorite movies. Honorable mention goes to Superman, for bringing the franchise back to life in a great way.

TV Show of the Year
How I Met Your Mother
- All nominees represented shows I watched every show of (OK...maybe not every Report, but alot). I just love HIMYM, it's my kind of show. Honestly, watching a new episode has become a kind of event for me. A close second would be Studio Sixty, followed by (yes...I have to list all of them) Colbert, Sopranos, and Current.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

What to Get Me: 2006 Edition

Here it is, the annual What To Get Me post.

Each year, I make the effort to create an online Amazon wishlist to help out those who just want to get me something but don't want to actually have to go through the trouble of being creative. Have no fear; 2006 is not forgotten. You still have time to get in an order in time for Christmas, but you better hurry.

What to Get Me: 2006 Christmas List (Amazon Edition)

So I've Been AFK For Awhile

This marks the third straight post I've made about, well, not making posts. It's just been, well, crazy this last couple of weeks. I've been flying back and forth, writing papers, and taking finals. That leaves very little time for witting on a blog that I;m not sure anyone even bothers to read.

However, that being said, I am back home until the 2nd, so I might be blogging a bit more.

Also, I will keep up the yearly traditions that the blog holds for the month of December, and that means my Christmas list and the 3rd Annual STAR Awards. Stay tuned for more info on both coming latter today.

In Xbox gaming news, I'm still hooked on GoW, which is probably the best game out for the 360 to date. I've signed up for he Halo 3 beta, and can not wait to be picked. I think my room might just overfill with UCD Halo nerds if I get in. Also, check out this YouTube piece, done by none other than yours truly, on mashing the Megadeath "Gears of War" song ad the new Halo TV ad. Fits, as I say, "oddly nicely."

I'm also on the hunt for a Wii. And I've had no luck so far. When I say "on the hunt" I mean I look for one at every store I go into, so I'm not really going out of my way. Eventually, I'll find one, but I just don't see the point in going crazy over the thing yet.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Where Have I Been?

That's a good question. It's been close to two months... and the only thing thats changed on this blog is the constantly updating played games list. In fact, as of late, my Xbox 360 is doing more blogging than I am.

The answer, of course, is I've been busy. College just doesn't leave much time for blogging. It does, however, seem to lead to a lot of reading, writing and bike trips up and down campus. And the occasional GoW game with my dorm mates.

Yes, I am officially hooked on Gow now. It rocks. Possibly more than Halo does...although that is still to be determined. For me, the appeal of Halo is the fact that I can still log on, more than 2 years latter, and feel like I am playing a great game that is different than I ever have played before. The fact that we are getting new maps sometime next year surly only adds to this fact.

So, my point of writing this is a post of uncertainty. My life hasn't exactly fallen apart once I stopped blogging. And I don't see any posts on Engadget or Joystiq begging me to come back. If I do, I surly will. Until than...I'm simply not sure. Is this something I want to continue? Sorta. In a weird way I do...but I don't know. Maybe. Possibly. But don't count on it. Maybe cross your fingers, but you may forced to uncross them eventually because you find something more productive to do.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

It' Been Awhile

It's been a long, long time since I've last posted on this blog. No, No, I'm NOT dead, just been busy. What's happened since my last post more than a month ago? The world has truely gone crazy, that's what.

TGS and X'06: TGS is a bust, X06 a blast. Halo Wars annouced, shown.
DOOM surprsied the world and is placed on marketplace
Vision is released, but not available on any store shelves.
Guitar Hero 2 coming the 360.
Lego Star Wars II Released; DLC Characters Released. Game Rocks!
Test Drive: Unlimited Releases. Game is OK.
Tons of demos released: FEAR, Fuzion Frenzy 2, Sonic, and others
Sony tries to blow up the world with batteries
Resident Evil 5 coming to 360
Oblivion going to PS3
Tons and tons of other stuff

So, I'm not quite sure why I stopped blogging. I just started playing Dead Rising non-stop, and than never picked it up again.

But this blog is far from dead. Very, very far.

For the past week, I've been making my transistion to college life. I'm up at UC Davis, which means three things: there's hella cows, and it's hella cold. Oh, and everybody uses "hella" all the time. Very, very odd.

This blog will serve new functions as a place for me to vent about the upcoming struggles of college life, just as it did during my high school years. Without a doubt, expect many updates about how it's gong and what's up.

That brings me to my next point: updates. Now that I'm in college, my shcedule is, well, crazy. Expect updates to be, well, crazy.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Dead Rising Review Up

For the past week I've done nothing but play Dead Rising. My review is now up over at TeamXbox, and yes, I did beat the end with the "ture" ending!

LINK

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

XBL Arcade Wednesdays: Part TWO!

Confirming what some alreadly belived, MS extended Arcade Wednesday today, to include three new gamesa and some actually good content. Here's the full list:

August 16--Cloning Clyde Pic Packs (100 Points)
August 16-- Uno Theme Deck, PGR3 (100 Points)
August 23-- Texas Hold 'Em (Free for 48 hours; 800 points after)
August 30--Time Pilot (400 Points)
September 6--Scramble (400 Points)

The only thing that changed from the "rumors" was a week push back all around (no one geussed the Pic Packs or UNO Theme) and thus, the fact that Lumines Live! isn't out on the 6th, or even in the list. Perhaps it will come on Wednesdays Part 3?

Anyway, very good news to hear that Poker is finally on its way, and for free. Cool!

(BTW--This is the 500th post on CR!)

Monday, August 14, 2006

Happy 2 B-day!

Happy Birthday Continual Randomness! Today you turn 2 years old. It's hard to belive it, but it's true. It was two years ago that I sat down and created a Blogger accouant and started doing whatever this is. Since than, it's, well, been a hell of a ride.

This last year brought with it many surprises, most notably the launch of Xbox 360 and my final year at high school. This blog chronicaled it all, and proved to be one of the best places to get accurate and breaking news in the tech sector. Overall, this year has been pretty good. I think we can all agree that the 360 rocks the video game world, and on a personal note, I can't wait to head off to college latter in September.

Now, to kick off another tradition. Last year, I posted several items that this blog would focus on. Here they are:

My Senoir Year at YHS, including college stuff and graduation.
The Launch of Xbox 360, PS3, and the Nintendo Revolution.
The (maybe) release of Bungie's next game.
Windows Vista and its new wave of crappyness.
More globe trotting
Harry Potter #7 build up
Star Wars Day 05, release of ROTS DVD and BF 2
More Xbox Live attachment

Now, let's review the year, and see how they stacked up. First off, my Senior year at high school. Yep, this one was covered at least once a month, from the first day of school, homecoming, 9-11 rememberance, and more. Next, the launch of Xbox 360, PS3 and Revolution. I got one of the three right. Looks like the PS3 will be another goal; as for the Revolution-it got a new name. However, CR was the place to get all the info on the two consoles before they launch this fall.

The next one I was even hsitant in 2005-the next Bungie game. However, the world now knows that Halo 3 is coming, and in 2007. Another goal for next year. On that note, Vista and Harry Potter #7 both failed to see the light of day this year, but they probably will next year.

Star Wars Day 05 definatly came, and was covered by CR. We were left with one of the best SW video games yet to date, save KOTOR and a classic on DVD. Star Wars Day 06 is coming this year, and CR will be on it on September 12, 2006.

Globe trotting is an interesting one. I did do some, although not exactly global. I did make that random call from Vegas back in June, and did head up to San Fran twice in the same week. Crazy, but fun.

So, on to this years, Year Three (which, haha, begins right now) predictions:

The release of the PS3 and the Wii. Complete coverage of both launches
Windows Vista--maybe
Halo 3 and the new era of gaming, if it's out before Fall
The new E3- Is it CES? GDC? Leipieg? Who knows, but the CR will be there to sort it out to get all of the news that matters most.
Harry Potter #7-may not come out this year, but the build-up (like titles and date) more than likely will.
Big Xbox 360 titles: Army of Two, Mass Effect, Bio Shock, and many more
Star Wars Day 06- the release of the true originals and Lego Star Wars II
My College experiance at UC Davis. Expect full updates on my freshman year
The release of Halo: The Lost Man (Yes...it's still coming!)
More political news--I care too much about the world to let it all fall apart!
And more!

So, that's some of the stuff that might happen in '06-'07, and CR will be there to cover it all. Now, last year I made a pledge, to go right to the heart of Continual Randomness, with more posts about random things (Get it? Continual + Randomness?). I think I made OK on that goal. I am, of course, renewing it for this Thrid Year, but I'm also adding something new: Challenge.

I want to challenge the world with this blog. Starting right now, expect more of it. I can't go into details, as it's just hard to explain, but your start to see what I mean. These will be both mentally and physically. The STARD Tourny will be a part of this, and it will be great.

So, thanks for sharing this year with me. It's been great. I hope your continue to make CR your stop on the Blog list for all of the news that matters.

Untill next time,

star

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Special ALB: Happy B-day Blog!

Date first appeared: August 14, 2005
Special Note: Post to honor 1st B-day of this blog

It's offical: this blog is exactly one year old. It was this day last year when I registared for a Blogger accountant and posted my very first entry into "Continual Randomness". Since then, the blog has changed over the months, gone days without updates, and then dozens of updates in one day.

At the start, the blog was desgined for my Black Arrow days. Then it morphed into antipatication for "Star Wars Day 2004", then into a singing coutdown for Halo 2. Since November 9, it served as mostly a Halo 2 fan page...before morphing into just an all-around everything blog that it is now.

What does the future hold for Continual Randomness? I geuss whatever my future holds. Hopefully, this year maybe I'll get serious about blogging, desgin some HTML and maybe even do a PodCast with the blog. Expect more updates about better stuff, and lots more pictures and links of "random" things. This year, I'm heading right to the roots of the blog..."Continual" meaning a lot more posts, and "Randomness" meaning stuff about everything. Some of next years, which starts right now, highlights include:

My Senoir Year at YHS, including college stuff and graduation.
The Launch of Xbox 360, PS3, and the Nintendo Revolution.
The (maybe) release of Bungie's next game.
Windows Vista and its new wave of crappyness.
More globe trotting
Harry Potter #7 build up
Star Wars Day 05, release of ROTS DVD and BF 2
More Xbox Live attachments
And more...

Thats just a list of someof the stuff I know will happen in the rest of 05 and 06. I'm sure there will be plenty of more stuff to talk about...and maybe I few surprises I know about but can't yet say.

Also, I may try to either regroup or start a new blog for this year, as the links on the side are getting kinda long.

Maybe latter I'll set up a special B-day Poll...cheek back here latter and vote.

Lastly, thanks readers. Without you, no one would read. Heres to another year just as good as this one.

StarDrummer

Special ALB: Welcome-- To me and You

Date first appeared: August 14, 2004
Special Note: VERY first post, ever.

Hey, somehow you managed to find this. Props to you. Welcome to my blog. I am new to this whole thing, so, yeah, it kinda sucks compared to some others. Anyway, I'll keep this as up-to-date as I can. It seems everyone is doing this blog thing, so I geuss I'll do it to.

Eventually I post a little more about me, but for now, my name is StarDrummer on Xbox Live, and I plan on using that here as well. So, you can call me Star. Or StarD. Or the whole thing. No cares here.

And That Was A Look Back

Thanks for joining me in my time machine, as we relived the best moments in this blog's history. We saw the birth of Battlefront, Halo 2, Battlefront 2, Xbox 360, ROTS and my final day of school. We also relived some important moments in my personal history, like first days of Jr and Sr years, as well as the infamous "Sniper or Rocket" debate.

It seems like it's been only a few days since I've started blogging, but I was amazed at how many favorite posts I truely had. Don;t forget to vote on your own favorite on the right.

ALB: Final Day of School

Date first appeared: June 13, 2006
Special Note: Last day of public schooling, ever

Tomorrow, June 13, 2006, is my final day of school. 12 long years since I began my journey, I am now finally able to call it quits, and exit with my head held high. I offically graduate on June15; however, Wednesday and Thursday are simply rehersal days and such.

At thuis point, I'm not sure what to think My time at YHS has been great, and for that I am eternally greateful. I know that I have been bleased to have been surrounded by the best techers and the best of the best freinds. At the same time, I'm ready to move on with the next chapter in my life. I feel ready to head of to college. Sure, a part of me is sad that I will never see about 90% of these people ever again, and, if I do, everything will be deferant. But a large part of me right now thinks that that's OK.

So, as I sit here, waiting for the begining of the end, I can't help but think, "Bring it on." The past has been great...but I have higher hopes for the future.

Again, CR will serve to function as recording of my life. As such, events in my senior year are posted as I see fit. Stay tuned for daily graduation coverage.

ALB: Reactions to ROTS

Date first Appeared: May 19, 2005
Special Note: Thoughts on SW: Episode III after a midnight showing

(Note: Contains Spoliers)

Best. Star Wars. Ever.

As you can guess, I loved ROTS. By far, it is the best SW movie ever. There was just so much action...every moment was good. Sure the acting sucks. Sure the lines are corny at best, sickening at worst, but man, the fight scenes are cool.

The Dooku scene rocks.

Mace Windo was awsome.

I love Yoda and the Wokkies.

Seeing Anakin kill "Younglings" was great.

Anakin getting his ass kicked was priceless.

And Yoda losing too.

Every fight seemed monumentus...and the saga now blends perfectly. Everything that should have happened, happened. And it happened right.

And for those tuck on the Qui-gon thing at the end, heres what it means. Remeber in V and VI Obi-wan talks to Luke right? How does he do that since he's dead? Qui-gon teaches him on Tatooine. It's the reason Obi-wan gave up fighting so easily in IV. The book makes this more clear, as Qui-gon talks to Yoda several times.

But where were these scenes?
-Mon Momtha? (action figure)
-Padma as an Egyptian (Poster)
-The Ackbar guys?
-Panaka scene w/ Palpy

ALB: Working on Halo: The Lost Man

Date first appeared: October 19, 2005
Special Note: The forgotten promise is born.

I've started work on The Lost Man, the current codename/devlopment title of my text-based RPG. It's loosly based on the Halo storyline, but you don't play as the Master. Instead, the game has you as a common Marine solider in battle for Earth.

You start out in the cliche' RPG-way of having no clue who you are (you even have to open your eyes) and than discover what's going on. The Cehif does show up towards the middle of the game, and helps play out some the early battles...but other than that, your on your own.

The real plot of the game involves you searching for the reason behind the Covenant attack on Earth, after the battle of New Mombasa in Halo 2. In your search, you find clues to a hidden relic on Earth...and dsicover your true identity and how it is intrictly linked to the Halo uinverse.

Just so were clear, this is a school-based, non-profit fan-fiction game that is in no endorsed, sponswered or in any way affilated with Bungie, Microsoft, Xbox, or any of the things related to those companies. I belive this dosn't violate any legal issues, as I don't plan on making a penny on this, it's just an AP Computer Science (Java) project.

If I can, I will give the world access to the game by November 22, 2005. I expect to have the final, version 1.03.06, released by January 12, 2006. Don't count on the early version to be completly great or completly finsihed for that matter. But be sure to cheek it out, as so far, after only a week of actual hardcore coding, its coming along pretty nicely.

Also, the program will be open-source based, but I will NOT be able to release the code untill June 11, 2006, after the course is over for school reasons.

ALB: Xbox 360 Is Here

Date First Appeared: November 23, 2005
Special Note: Post of Xbox 360 first thoughts

The era of next-gen gaming is here, and I am a part of it. After a long 21 hours outside of my local Best Buy...I managed to score the hottest gaming system in history. And yes, it is everything it is cracked out to be. The graphics are just something tobe hold. Currently, I have three 360 games--Call of Duty 2, Madden '06 and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

I posted my GamerCard here before, and I will try to get it as a permanate feature of this blog via HTML. Stay tuned for more news and info as I get a second to tear myself away from the 360.

ALB: Less Than 24 Hours

Date First Appeared: November 21, 2005
Special Note: Last post before Xbox 360

Less than 24 hours before the US release of the Xbox 360...and I'm about to embark on a quest to find one. No, I did not pre-order one...and now I will seek one out using stealth, charm and smarts.

My first stop is Wal-Mart, who has about 150 available for sale at 12:01 tonight. I plan to head over there in about an hour and wait in line.

If I am not successful there, I shall head to Best Buy, which opens at 9 AM to get one there. If I run out of luck, Costco and Circuit City are next.

Expect audio updates here on the progress of my journey. It's gonna be a long day...

Final Week in 2006 Fantasy B-Ball

This week is the final week for 2006 Fantasy Baseball. I've had a rather rough year this year, and may or may not make it to the playoffs. It all comes down to this final week. If I can pull out a win, and other teams lose, than I should make it with a Wildcard, but I think this is no hope for winning the division.

Carp, I need more wins!!

Wii Launch Titles List

Nintendo's Wii has quite a growing list of titles scheduled for launch, whenever that happens to be. Much more, I think, than the PS3 currently is offering. The titles are not quite "blockbusters" (save Zelda, but, that's not really Wii) but there are some notables, inculsing "Wii Sports", "Red Steel" and "Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam"

LINK