Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The MMO Times: Winter Lion

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On March 4, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIIIssue 96: Well, it looks like March came in like a lion; a cold, frigid ice-covered lion. I know most of us are probably in agreement (if you live in the mid-west or NE United States) that its time for winter to be over! I think we have all had enough of these single digit and sub-zero temperatures, ice falling from the sky, and the merciless snow. The only thing that has been redeeming about this ridiculous weather is that it has kept us all inside, playing our games. While it looks like we are finally on the brink of Spring, there is still some gaming news to be excited about too.

Blizzard has once again provided the most news in this issue, especially if you are playing Diablo III or anxiously awaiting Heroes of the Storm. If you’re on the fence about updating your Standard Edition of MoP to the Deluxe, your time is running out. Also, some Marvel Heroes, Neverwinter, Guild Wars 2 and even Asheron’s Call news. Stay warm and game on, friends!

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Movie Review: Ender’s Game

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On March 2, 2014

In Movies, Reviews

enders-gameMy Rating: [rating=5]

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Sir Ben Kingsley

Plot: I’m not going to go into the plot much because I encourage you to read the book. The book is amazing and pretty much my all time favorite book. Andrew Ender Wiggin is a prodigy. He has the ability to counter nearly any enemy attach, and he’s only 11 years old. His remarkable abilities attract the attention of military leader Colonel Graff who believes that Ender may be Earth’s last hope against an alien attack, but first Ender must complete Battle School to receive the proper training.

Biggs’ Synopsis: As an avid fan of the book, I was pretty apprehensive about the movie. Everyone knows that Hollywood loves to destroy a good book (ex: Eragon). I know the author, Orson Scott Card, was standing between Hollywood and the making of this movie, leaving all of us anxiously awaiting the day when the movie will finally be made. Personally, we were not disappointed. I think the movie was great! It stayed fairly true to the book and I think it nailed Ender’s philosophy. There are a few sub-plots the movie leaves out, but it doesn’t really take away from the main story. I do wish they had spent more time on the battle room where we really got to see Ender’s abilities shine.

Also, the soundtrack is amazing! I bought it immediately after watching the movie and have already listened to it numerous times. If you haven’t read the book, do that first. Seriously, don’t watch the movie until you have read the book. If you have read it and are reluctant to see the movie, I would still encourage you to see it. If you are not the kind of person that can take the time to read the book, then go ahead and see this movie (but I would still strongly urge you to read the book).

/cheers.

Microsoft Haters vs Critics

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On February 28, 2014

In Microsoft, Programming, Technology

quillIt’s not a secret among many of my friends and co-workers, I have been pretty harsh toward Microsoft lately. It’s an interesting dichotomy since I make a living developing Microsoft solutions. Despite my harsh opinions, I’m hardly considered a hater. This post was inspired by another post I read in Visual Studio Magazine (No Stopping Microsoft Haters). The unfortunate fact is, the trolls of the Internet are relentless. Some may actually have valid reasons for their opinions, others are probably just trying to bate the passionate.

The thing is, there is a huge difference between a hater and a critic. I rip on Microsoft a lot, because I do have high expectations for a company that has been in business for nearly 40 years. I don’t think my comments and opinions make me a hater. Perhaps if you were to say I am a Windows 8 hater, that might be a valid accusation. However, I really enjoy the tools Microsoft provides to make my job a hundred times easier. I really think Windows 7 is the best version of Windows you can use (unless you must use Hyper-V, then you are pretty much stuck using Windows 8).

Unfortunately for Scott Hanselman, his rather scathing article, which has incited quite a comments backlash, may have painted him as a hater. I read his article, Microsoft killed my Pappy, and it does read like one of those obstinate anti-Microsoft personalities that has been attacking the company for years.  So, yea, there is quite a difference between someone that just has strong opinions against one or two particular products and someone that is merely trying to trash a name.

/cheers

MMO Times: So Long, Sochi!

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On February 24, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIIIssue 95: The 2014 Winter Olympics are over. A big congrats to all the Olympians that received a medal this year. Congrats to Russia for winning the most medals this year, it’s pretty cool that they won the medal count when the Olympics were on their home soil. Congrats to Canada for winning the Hockey Gold Medal!! All right, enough with the Olympics, this is an MMO blog post for crying out loud!

I have a couple of World of Warcraft posts available this time. Mostly expansion related but there is a really cool transmog post I would encourage you to read if you’re interested. I found an interesting FFXIV post regarding its port to the PS4, plus some RIFT news. So now that we have all that Curling out of our system, lets check out whats happening in the MMO games. Enjoy!

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Book Review: Divergent

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On February 20, 2014

In Book Review

Divergent (Divergent, #1)Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating:[rating=5]
(Click here to read this review on Goodreads)

I really liked this book, more then I thought I would. It’s not often that I read many books where the hero is female and that’s just a coincidence. The book takes place in the future again, it a dystopian Chicago (which is immediately a win for me). There is definitely a Hunger Games vibe to the book where society is broken into 5 factions and once you choose a faction (either your own or changing factions) you must remain a part of that faction and adhere to its ideals or become factionless.

However, there are anomalies that many consider to be a threat to that way of life. Divergents are among all the factions and perhaps they are the key to breaking down faction walls, but there are those in power that do not want to see that happen.

There is a heavy romance plot to the book as well which might help to appeal to a broader range of readers. I am now excited for the movie (and I hope its as good as the book). If you enjoyed Hunger Games then I would pick up a copy of this book, before its out in theaters.

View all my reviews

MMO Times: Respawned!

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On February 18, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIIIssue 94: Hello Gamers! I know the MMO Times has been missing all year but that is mostly the result of the site relocation efforts that were taking place over the past couple of months. I hope you all are still interested to read about what new things are coming up in the MMO genre and that you haven’t developed any bad habits of looking the news up yourself! I hope there won’t be any more interruptions for a while so I can keep bringing you the latest MMO headlines! So on with the show!

The latest news entails mostly details about Blizzard titles, including two upcoming titles (Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm). Bioware has some news for SWTOR players that they hope will spark more interest. There is also a possible new MMO title coming. Also, if you hadn’t heard yet, the official release date for Elder Scrolls Online is set for April 4th and the game is still sending out beta invites. I have not participated but I would be interested in hearing what your impressions are if you are in the beta.

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