Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Movie Review: Inception

By

On August 16, 2010

In Movies, Reviews

[rating:4.5]

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe

The first time I saw the television trailer for Inception I remember thinking that this movie looked a little too bizarre for me; or too bizarre to pay to see it in the theater at the minimum. Then it started getting excellent reviews, then my co-workers were talking about, and my friends were talking about it. So I decided that I needed to see it (yes, I succumbed to peer pressure).

I have to admit, I was not disappointed. I enjoyed it more then I thought I would. I will also admit, for a long time I was not Leo’s biggest fan but recently I’ve been re-evaluating that and this movie definitely bodes in his favor. Yes, the movie does have its moments where its a little bizarre but the majority of the plot takes place in the dream world and when has the dream world ever been normal. I think the acting in this movie was superb; I’m really starting to become a fan of Ellen Page and I think this is Ken Watanabe’s best role since The Last Samurai.

Here is my advice if you are thinking about seeing this movie. You must be willing to accept certain logic defying concepts because this is a dream world, its an adventure into the human subconscious. The human mind is designed to defy the impossible and contemplate the improbable. The second thing, and probably most important in order to get the most out of this film, pay attention. The movie is a little “high-brow” and its a mind-bender, if you are not paying attention and listening to a majority of what is being said you will become lost and the sequences will become meaningless and confusing.

If, what I have said, intrigues you and you take into consideration my advice, then I would definitely recommend spending the money to catch this one in the theaters.

I hope you enjoy the show.

The MMO Times (8) – The I-Got-Lazy Edition

By

On August 13, 2010

In MMO Times

Issue 8

Life got busy and I got lazy and fell behind in sending out the MMO Times, although after scanning the headlines from the past week and a half there doesn’t seem to be alot going one (everyone is too busy playing StarCraft II). Be that as it may, I did find enough to provide somewhat of a lengthy issue:

Diablo III Secret to be Revealed at GameCom 2010
It is exciting to provide some Diablo III news because, after StarCraft II, this is the next most anticipated Blizzard release. Director Jay Wilson will hold a press conference at GameCom to reveal “a secret feature of Diablo III”. While I found the link on wow.com, Blizzplanet has the article.
http://www.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzard_to_reveal_diablo_iii_feature_at_gamescom_2010/

For the WoW Lore-nerds: Cataclysm Faction Traitors
I should warn you, this article does contain audio that unveils lore details that are considered spoilers. There will be two traitors (one from each faction) that will be revealed in Cataclysm. I will let you see the wow.com article to find out to avoid spoiling anything here.
http://www.wow.com/2010/08/09/cataclysm-faction-traitors-revealed/

Cataclysm Still Scheduled for 2010
During an earnings report at Activision-Blizzard, Mike Morheim (Blizzard CEO) still confirms that Cataclysm will still be released before the end of the year. He was quoted as saying that this will be “our best expansion yet”. You can read the whole article at wow.com.
http://www.wow.com/2010/08/06/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-still-on-track-for-a-2010-release-d/

Mini Deathwing: Possible Collector’s Edition Pet?
I know there is a lot of WoW articles in this issue, I will try to move on to other games very soon but I couldn’t pass up this data-mined item. Its a mini deathwing that is rumored to be the pet for the Collector’s Edition of Cataclysm. The link to the wow.com article has a video of this little guy.
http://www.wow.com/2010/08/06/cataclysm-beta-mini-deathwing-discovered/

Global Agenda Sandstorm Patch
There will be a new patch for Global Agenda (Sandstorm Version 1.36) hitting the live servers soon. There seems to be quite a few changes in this patch including changes to the Agency-vs-Agency system. I’m sure if you are a GA player you probably know what that means. More at Massively.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/12/global-agendas-latest-sandstorm-patch-hits-today/

Aion Pets Revealed!
Big news for Aion players, in their upcoming 2.0 patch (Assault on Balaura) there will be pets. This is quite a lengthy article but it includes several pictures of the new pets and a gallery for quick viewing.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/12/how-much-is-that-drakie-in-the-window-aion-pets-revealed/

NDA for Final Fantasy XIV Beta Testing Lifted
Those people who were fortunate enough to receive beta invites for Final Fantasy XIV are now free to talk about their experiences. This article contains a link to a list of changes made to the recent beta update so if you want to know more you probably want to check it out at Massively.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/12/how-much-is-that-drakie-in-the-window-aion-pets-revealed/

Alganon Goes Free-2-Play
I don’t know why I always find these headlines so interesting, probably just as interesting as finding out about the latest game going into Open Beta. Another MMO makes the paradigm shift to F2P.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/10/alganon-making-the-switch-to-the-full-free-to-play-model/

Beta News

Sad SWTOR Beta News
As some of you may have been aware, last Friday I received an e-mail from Bioware informing me that I had been selected to participate in the testing of Ord Mantell and the trooper and smuggler classes for SWTOR. On Tuesday morning, 4 hours before my test group could begin, we were informed that “due to unforseen circumstances” the testing for my test group had been canceled. I was hoping to be able to provide vague details (because I was obligated under an NDA) about SWTOR. Alas, I have been returned to the queue with everyone else, hoping to be selected again.

Soul Master Begins Open Beta
Soul Master is a free-to-play MMORTS (that is Real Time Strategy) game produced by GamesCampus that has entered into Open Beta today. I can’t imagine anyone that likes to play RTS games doing anything else other then playing StarCraft II right now, but who knows, maybe this will be entertaining too. The link to the massively article is below as well as a link to the Soul Master website if you want a beta key.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/12/soul-master-begins-open-beta/
http://soulmaster.gamescampus.com/

Vindictus Enters Closed Beta
On August 10th, the game Vindictus entered into Closed Beta. I’m not that familiar with this game but apparently there has been screenshots, trailers, gameplay and … “an awesome hat?” You can read more at Massively or check out the website for more details on this beta.
http://www.massively.com/2010/08/11/vindictus-begins-closed-beta/
http://vindictus.nexon.net/

I also provide the MMO Times as part of an e-mail mailing list (manually maintained for the time being). If you are interested in receiving the e-mail please let me know.

Republic News: Its Beta Time! [UPDATE]

By

On August 10, 2010

In Gaming, Republic News, SWTOR

Hello all, I’m thinking of starting a new segment called Republic News.

I have been selected to participate in the testing of Star Wars The Old Republic for the next three days. I am obligated under an NDA to not provide details of the game and I have no intention of violating that NDA. I figure my approach to Republic News will be similar to how BigRedKitty approached his closed beta testing of Cataclysm; for those of you unfamiliar with BRKs work, that essentially means non-specific statements and adjectives describing definite articles. I will NOT be posting screenshots.

The amount of testing I have been given the opportunity to do is very limited. I can only create characters of two classes, I can only be on one planet and my window for testing ends at 1am (EST) on Friday.

Now, I do not believe I am violating the NDA by telling you the classes and planet I can test. If, at any point, I find that Bioware wishes that this information be removed and not discussed, I will comply with their requests.

I have been allowed to test the Republic Trooper and the Smuggler (I think I mentioned Bounty Hunter before, but I was mistaken) and only on the planet of Ord Mantell. I may have thought that I was testing Bounty Hunter because Ord Mantell is a place Han refers to as having an unfortunate run-in with a bounty hunter (ESB).

I’m hoping to begin testing this evening (gotta do the work thing first) and I will most likely start with a Smuggler.

See You All Again Soon.

[UPDATE]: I just received word that Bioware had to cancel my entire test group so it looks like I will not be doing any testing of SWTOR for now. I haven’t received any additional information regarding the reason for canceling the test other then “unforseen circumstances” which is developer-speak for “we found something bad that must be fixed before anybody else finds it”

The MMO Times (7)

By

On July 30, 2010

In MMO Times

Issue 7

A short one to end the week. One of the items pertains to this weekend so I decided to post/send issue 7 today.

Nar Shaddaa: The Newest Planet in SWTOR
Nothing gives me more pleasure then to report more news about SWTOR. Bioware announced today the 14th planet for The Old Republic, Nar Shaddaa. Apparently this will be haven to the criminal underworld; a center for sinister characters like Zam Wessell, Boba Fett and IG-88. Massively is the snitch.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/30/swtors-sin-city-has-been-announced-nar-shaddaa/

Guild Wars 2 Level Cap is 80
Isaiah “Izzy” Cartwright, a game designer on Guild Wars 2, has confirmed that in the upcoming sequel the level cap will be 80. Apparently it will take the same amount of time to go though each level. An interesting approach.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/29/guild-wars-2-level-cap-confirmed-at-80/

Email Confirmation Required for Authenticators
The lowest form of life on the planet are the hackers compromising MMO accounts for purposes of monetary gain. This has been the bane of MMO gamers existence, and Blizzard has taken a clever step at foiling these villianous cretins. An email confirmation is now required in order to apply an authenticator to a Battle.net account. If you don’t have an authenticator, I strongly recommend you invest the $6.00 to get one.
http://www.wow.com/2010/07/28/email-confirmation-added-to-authenticator-setup-to-foil-hackers/

Aion:Free Activation and Double XP
This is the time senstive post. NCSoft, in an obvious attempt to bring players back, is reactivating all disabled accounts for this weekend (starting today) and they are doubling the XP gained. As I already said, this is obviously a ploy to get players to experience the changes in the 1.9 patch. The article is at Massively.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/27/aion-free-account-reactivations-double-xp-incoming/

I also provide the MMO Times as part of an e-mail mailing list (manually maintained for the time being). If you are interested in receiving the e-mail please let me know.

The MMO Times – Comic-Con Edition

By

On July 26, 2010

In MMO Times

Comic-Con Issue

Here are some of the MMO announcements unveiled at Comic-Con.

Bioware Announces Dragon Age II
If SWTOR wasn’t the most exciting thing coming from Bioware, at Comic-Con fans were surprised to hear about Dragon Age II. Fans were treated to a world premiere, hands-on preview. Additional details on this announcement can be found at Joystiq.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/24/preview-dragon-age-2/

Comic-Con Interview with Aion Producer Lani Blazier
Aion’s producer Lani Blazier was interviewed at Comic-Con this year and the interview covers a few items. Some of these items include Aion 2.0, Assault on Balaurea and what players can expect from this free expansion, including a level cap increase to 55. NCSoft is hoping to bring back those players that have canceled their subscriptions from the launch almost one year ago. Massively has the article.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/25/san-diego-comic-con-massivelys-interview-with-aion-producer-la/

Warhammer Patch 1.3.6 Available on Warpstone Test Server
This was not necessarily part of Comic-Con but the latest Warhammer Online patch (1.3.6) was made available on the public test server known as Warpstone. I guess the devs were holding a Q&A and there is rumor of some kind of giveaway. Massively has the post.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/24/patch-1-3-6-available-on-warhammer-onlines-warpstone-server/

DC Universe Online Story Trailer
I don’t know if this necessarily comes from Comic-Con but I thought it was interesting and worth mentioning. SOE and Blur have released a trailer to discusses the DCUO storyline. Massively has the article.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/24/soe-and-blur-release-dcuo-story-trailer/

SWTOR to Have Space Combat
It pleases me that the first item to add for the Comic-Con issue is about The Old Republic. We heard from Bioware on Friday that there will be space combat in SWTOR. More information is available at Massively.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/23/space-combat-has-been-comfirmed-for-swtor/

More Comic-Con Happenings
There were a lot of movies, games, trailers, etc unveiled at Comic-Con this year. I tried to provide most of the MMO related posts but many other things were announced (i.e. World of Warcraft movie, Sonic 4, The Force Unleashed 2, etc). So many things to look at so I provided what appears to be a nice blog from Gamespot of all the cool things announced at Comic-Con this year.
http://comic-con.gamespot.com/?tag=header%253Blogo

I also provide the MMO Times as part of an e-mail mailing list (manually maintained for the time being). If you are interested in receiving the e-mail please let me know.

The MMO Times (6)

By

On July 23, 2010

In MMO Times

Issue 6

Here’s the latest MMO news.

RELEASE REMINDER: StarCraft II Next Week!
This is just a reminder to all of you eagerly awaiting the release of SCII, Tuesday, July 27th, which is NEXT WEEK, you will be able to pick up StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. The game can be pre-ordered and there is a Collector’s Edition. I have included a link to Best Buy if you want to pre-order; and a link to some trailers at Joystiq.
Pre-Order StarCraftII Collector’s Edition from Best Buy
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/22/starcraft-2-trailer-summons-ghosts-of-the-past/

Comic-Con 2010 This Weekend
This is essentially another reminder that Comic-Con is happening right now at the San Diego Convention Center. I will be monitoring the blogs to see if there is anything exciting announced. In the event of some stupendous revelation(s) I will be sending another MMO Times, Comic-Con Edition, on Monday. Below is a link to the Comic-Con 2010 website.
http://www.comic-con.org/cci/index.php

SWTOR New Playable Race: Cathar
Bioware announced today a new playable race in SWTOR: Cathar. Many of you probably recognize this race from Knights of the Old Republic, but they were also in Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith. The article at Massively has more on this announcement.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/23/cats-invade-star-wars-the-old-republic-in-this-weeks-fan-frida/

BSG Online Will Be F2P … and Browser-Based
Yes, a “browser-based” MMO. The CEO of Bigpoint is hoping to raise expectations for browser-based gaming when they release Battlestar Galactica Online (which, I’m sure, will be a hot title). The Massively article has more details and screenshots!
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/22/exclusive-new-gameplay-details-and-screenshots-for-battlestar-g/

Final Fantasy XIV System Requirements
I think several people were already anticipating some pretty beefy system requirements for the next chapter in this franchise, and they were right. Even the minimum requirements seem pretty beefy, however if your computer passed the benchmark test then you should be good to go. Massively has the article.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/22/the-system-requirements-of-final-fantasy-xiv/

Curse Purchases MMO-Champion
I did not see this one coming. MMO-Champion issued a press release on Tuesday that they have been purchased by Curse.com. This now makes Curse the ultimate MMO resource. The staff of MMO-Champion are not going anywhere, they will still be there posting daily, the website just has a parent company now. The link below will take you to the press release.
http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/1876-MMO-Champion-acquired-by-Curse

Beta News:

Soul Master (MMORTS) In Closed Beta
Yes, you read that correctly, a MMO Real-Time Strategy game, called Soul Master, has gone into closed beta on July 22nd. I enjoy playing RTS games occasionally but I don’t know if I would be into it as an MMO, but I know some of you might. I have known quite a few hard core RTS gamers, although this game looks a little … “anime-ish”. Check out the Massively article, there is also a link to the website to get a key to the beta.
http://www.massively.com/2010/07/21/soul-master-entering-closed-beta-tomorrow/
http://soulmaster.gamescampus.com/

I also provide the MMO Times as part of an e-mail mailing list (manually maintained for the time being). If you are interested in receiving the e-mail please let me know.

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