Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The MMO Times

By

On June 30, 2010

In MMO Times

Issue 1
Here are the latest tidbits of MMO articles and blog posts I found to be most interesting this week. I hope there is something below that peaks your interest.

Final Fantasy XIV Announces Release Date and Pricing
I know this is going to be exciting news for several of you. An official release date for the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIV has been announced. FF-aholics everywhere will be lining up September 22nd (if you want the Collector’s Edition) or September 30th (for regular edition). The link below will take you to the full article found at Massively.
http://www.massively.com/2010/06/30/final-fantasy-xiv-announces-launch-date-and-pricing-model/

Blizzard’s Tom Chilton Discusses F2P Potential
Ok, before all of the World of Warcraft players break out into praises of Alleluia, please note, this was only a passing thought … “intellectual curiosity”, as Massively’s Krystalle Voecks put it. Don’t expect WoW to become Free-2-Play anytime in the near future. Chilton only alludes to it because several MMO vendors are adopting this concept with significant return. If you want to read more, please follow the link below to the Massively article or the wow.com article.
http://www.massively.com/2010/06/30/blizzard-not-yet-ready-to-slaughter-the-cash-cow-and-go-f2p/
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/30/tom-chilton-discusses-free-to-play-wow/

Martial Empires Enters Open Beta
I have not heard of this MMO but apparently you can now register to enter the open beta at their website. If anyone knows more about this MMO please feel free to speak up. I have provided a link to the Massively article as well as a link to the website below.
http://www.massively.com/2010/06/30/martial-empires-enters-open-beta-with-new-content-and-screenshot/
http://martialempires.gamigo.com/

Blizzard Answers Lore Questions
(Contains some details about Cataclysm)
I know this post is specifically dealing with World of Warcraft lore and nothing about MMO gameplay, but I know there are a few that find nuggets of lore interesting. I’m not going to spoil any of the details of this Q&A from Blizzard’s creative development team, you can follow the link below to see the wow.com article, or see the full Q&A post that appeared on the forums.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/30/blizzards-creative-development-team-answers-tons-of-lore-questi/
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?sid=1&topicId=25626575587

Cataclysm Closed Beta Begins
WoW players around the world are rejoicing, Blizzard has issued a press release announcing the start of the Cataclysm beta testing. They will be issuing invitations to players around the world who signed up using their Battle.net account. Visit the link below to see the post on wow.com.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/30/cataclysm-closed-beta-has-begun/

I know this issue was heavy with World of Warcraft headlines but I hope that in the future I will try to be more diverse.

Movie Review: Iron Man 2

By

On June 2, 2010

In Movies, Reviews

[rating: 4]

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

A new villain has emerged who has created a suit similar to Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit, using an arcane reactor he created himself in his basement. There seems to be a link between the villain’s father and Tony; that you will have to find out for yourself. Don Cheadle is in this film to take on the role of Rhodey, Stark’s military friend, who ultimately becomes War Machine. Let the battle of good vs. evil ensue.

I don’t want to talk too much about the other subtexts contained within the plot for those that have not seen the movie. If you are a fan of the Iron Man character and The Avengers comic series I would highly suggest this movie. I think the first Iron Man had more whit but I disagree with the other critics (shocker, I know) in that this movie was still worth the price of admission. I still really enjoyed it and honestly I’m glad the director picked up Don Cheadle to play the role of Rhodey; I think Cheadle is too often overlooked and underrated.

For those of you that are really into these movies and the talk of an Avengers movie, I would highly suggest that you stay in the theater until after the credits have finished. I hope you enjoy the film

Just An Update

By

On April 21, 2010

In General Cogitation

I have been doing a lot of movie reviews lately so this time I thought I would post some actual current events; though I’m fairly confident there are not many people who visit and read my blog – perhaps I need to find something more interesting to post more often.

At any rate, work is really busy; so busy in fact that I had a migraine Tuesday after work from the amount of effort spent working though a major piece of functionality. Now that spring has arrived, yard work is now in full swing. Beth and I have many plans for the outside of the house; it seems the landscaping exposure I had as a  youth is paying off. It’s amazing what pieces of minutia stick around in your head from so long ago.

We have a standing water issue in the backyard so we picked up a weeping willow for a great price from Lowe’s. Weeping willows need moist soil to grow so it should do well in the backyard … and potentially assist in solving our standing water issue.

I re-activated my Steam account hoping to find some cool, free, games – my boss told me that Steam is a great place to pick up free or cheap games. I had no idea that is what Steam has evolved into; I remember back when I use to play Half-Life 2 and had to create a Steam account – I thought it was just for additional security. As part of activating my Steam account I think I might dig up the ole Half-Life disks and reminisce one day. I am still dedicated to killing Arthas though in World of Warcraft; sometimes you just need something different to disrupt the monotony.

Cheers.

Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland (3D)

By

On April 3, 2010

In Movies, Reviews

[rating:4]

I think a summary of the plot of this movie is moot. If you are not aware of the story of Alice in Wonderland then you have been living under a rock for 30 years. This movie was directed by Tim Burton so that alone should give you an idea of the mood this movie will have but also the attention to detail and caliber of acting the movie will contain.

I will admit I wasn’t sure right away if I wanted to see this film but a good friend of mine saw it before me and recommended we see it and see it in 3D. I’m glad I took his advice though I don’t know if I would go so far as to spend the extra $4 per ticket for 3D. Yes, the 3D was neat but I don’t think it added a lot to the film. I think the film would be just as unique and just as entertaining in regular 2D.

Johnny Depp was his usual odd and gifted self playing the Mad Hatter but I think the actor I enjoyed the most was Helena Botham Carter as the Red Queen. She was very entertaining. I don’t mean to undermine Depp’s acting in this film by that statement though, he still put on an excellent performance. All the actors, I felt, lived up to the standard one would expect from Tim Burton.

It is also my opinion to be cautious if you bring children to see this movie. It is dark and the Jabberwocky is pretty sinister not to mention the graphic method as to which Alice slays the Jabberwocky might be a bit much for younger children. However, the interaction between the Cheshire Cat and the March Hare is  pretty humorous and might be appealing to a some young audiences.

If you have the time I would recommend this film though I would save your money if you have a choice between 2D and 3D unless you are a big fan of the 3D effect. I hope you enjoy the film.

Movie Review: Avatar (3D)

By

On March 28, 2010

In Movies, Reviews

[rating:5]

Avatar takes place in the future, on a planet several light years away called Pandora. A multi-billion dollar company is excavating rare materials from the planet to take back to Earth to process and return a rather ludicrous profit. The natives are resisting, and with just cause. A paralyzed marine (Sam Worthington) is sent to the planet to resume control of his recently deceased brother’s avatar. These avatar’s are modeled after the local natives, the mission for these scientists and marines is to study and negotiate with the natives to the benefit of the corporation. As with all plans of mice and men, something goes awry. The details of that I will leave for you to discover on your own.

I saw this movie in 3D; I haven’t seen a movie in 3D since Captain Eo at Epcot Center and to be honest, I wasn’t really on the 3D bandwagon when we were preparing to see this movie. I was hoping to catch a regular digital 2D version of the film. Apparently the 3D was the most popular medium for viewing the film because all of the theaters in the area had already removed the 2D version, much to my chagrin.

I really enjoyed this movie. I think it certainly lives up to all the hype and expectations. A lot of people were saying that the movie has kind of a hippie anti-big business undertone but I disagree. I think its there if you are looking for it, but if you just watch the movie for its intended entertainment purposes I don’t think you are going to walk out hating big business because of some subliminal subtext. The digital artwork is phenomenal and the storyline keeps you intrigued for the entire 2 hour 42 minute runtime.

Regarding the 3D aspect of it, I would agree that watching this movie in 3D was a unique experience,  however, 3D is just a gimmick. It’s an excuse for the theaters to charge you an extra $2-3 per ticket. Honestly, when this movie comes out on Blu-ray, watching it on an HDTV via HDMI is going to be more spectacular then watching it in 3D.

(P.S. Avatar is coming out on Blu-ray April 22nd).

Movie Review: The Invention of Lying

By

On March 21, 2010

In Movies, Reviews

The Invention of Lying takes place in an alternate reality where the concept of truth and lie do not exist; nor does deceit or fiction. Everyone says anything that is immediately on their mind. There is a man (Ricky Gervais) who, one day, tells the first lie. The consequences of his lies take him down many awkward and humorous paths in search of meaning and love.

I watched this movie on a whim. The concept was intriguing, it seemed pretty low budget, not too many big names and I was pleasantly surprised. It was witty and clever. I wasn’t expecting the film to be Oscar worthy drama because the premise just alluded to entertainment and that’s exactly what I got out of it. I’ve actually seen the movie twice now and I enjoyed it just as much the second time through. I do think that this movie won’t be for everyone but if you are looking for some mild entertainment with a few cameos from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Edward Norton I would say to give this movie a shot. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

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