NBA Season

The NBA season is underway. Throughout the 80's I was a big Celtic fan while my brother was a Lakers fan. We were lucky to see some of the best players ever go at each other hard but always maintaining a respect for one another. And while Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Magic Johnson, and Abdul-Jabaar are all Hall of Famers, they all had the ability to make sure team came before self. The 90's belonged to Jordan. While early in his career I really didn't appreciate his game because it was too much one-on-one, as he matured he became far more team oriented. You look at two of his world championship rings, and you remember that John Paxon and Steve Kerr each won championship games for the Bulls when Jordan gave up the ball in the final seconds so that the ball could be delivered at exactly the right moment in exactly the right range, so that the "role player" didn't have to think about how big a shot they were taking but rather that they were just taking another shot; like thousand they had taken before.
The new millennium has not really shown me there are many players ready to be the "next" one. There are some great players, don't get me wrong, but I question whether there are any that put team success first. Jason Kidd may be the closest since I feel he really makes everyone around him better. But there is another. And this player is playing for a team nobody thinks can win. But that team is 2-0 because this player is making everyone around him better.
Vince Carter is that player.
Tonight he was able to draw four defenders to him in the dying seconds and dish to Chris Bosh for a lay-in. Bosh is a rookie. It not only shows how team oriented Carter is, but how much faith he has in his team mates. In a world full of millionaire hero-wannabes, it is refreshing to see that Vince Carter is well grounded in the game, its traditions and following the footsteps of the great players that came before him.
I'm certainly not picking the Raptors to storm the league, but they are going to be a lot of fun to watch. Go Raptors!

New Look

Well, as you can see I have re-skinned this blog. I am teaching myself how to do it and learning a lot about Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). It is fascinating stuff for the geek in me. Constructive criticism is welcome...flaming is not.

Steam Update

Steampowered have announced some updates and changes to their content delivery system. The most important in my mind:
"Offline/LAN play
Work on offline/LAN play is now nearing completion. To play any Steam game while not connected to the Internet it will only be necessary to let Steam finish downloading all of that game's content, at which point you'll be able to play games without connecting to Steam."
Thank you, Valve. It's about time.

Software Pricing

Software pricing baffles me sometimes. I know that the software companies need to get paid and they spend tons on R&D. But when pricing structures such as what Microsoft has been using here, really makes me wonder what is a fair price for a product. Basically, Microsoft will sell teachers and students a full version of Office at a huge discount...250 US$ huge!
I completely understand the "marketing" ideas behind the structure but I also think it sends a message to corporate customers: We will gouge you. Big companies could probably care less but what about all those small, family businesses that simply scrape by? Are they really going to use the software to any greater advantage than an average household? I think pricing like this for the exact same product is simply criminal. There ought to be a law.

Something Different

Took a matrix persona quiz...surprised me...


You are Neo, from "The Matrix." You
display a perfect fusion of heroism and
compassion.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Games out the wazoo

This is a great time to be a gamer. There are so many greatly anticipated games due out in the next couple of months it is going to be very difficult to decide where to spend. Apart from Call of Duty and Hidden and Dangerous 2 there are Max Payne 2, andSOCOM II. Not to mention some games that are already out that I have not been able to scrape enough cash together to get. Games like BF1942: Secret Weapons of WWII and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
come to mind.

Call of Duty

Medal of Honor:Allied Assault was one of the best games I have played in the last couple of years. It had the unique ability to suck the player into the on-screen experience. The team that created this great game experience decided to create their own group (Infinity Ward). This group is about to release a game called "Call of Duty" and it looks simply amazing. The AI (artificial intelligence) of the computer controlled characters (NPC) is top notch. You actually believe they are there helping you reach your goals. And because they help you, you want to make sure they get through the missions alive. The production of the game included Hollywood screenwriter and producer Michael Schiffer as well as some kick-ass music by Michael Giacchino who has done many scores for games, TV and Film. I can't wait for the release of this one; it's due in November. Two demos have been released. Check it out at the Call of Duty site.

Hidden & Dangerous

Hidden & Dangerous 2 is due for release at the end of the month. I remember playing the original as a demo and as a free game during a trial of a game delivery service (freeloader I think). It (H&D) was buggy as hell but something about it kept me playing it over and over until the trial was done. I never finished the game and the bugginess prevented me from wanting to go out and buy it; however, I might get a chance to finish it afterall! The publisher Gathering of Developers has released the full version as a free download. So far the game has been much more stable than I remember and it is still fun. I think it appeals to me because it combines the first person shooter with a touch of strategy. Check it out.

Canadian Thanksgiving and stuff(ing)

Well yesterday was the Canadian Thanksgiving. As many families do, we had two dinners; one for each side of the family. Saturday, was my side's and yesterday was the in-law's. Got to love getting two great dinners!

Fired up some Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne. I have had this for awhile but never got through it as there always seem to be other things to do. Plus I let my son play because he really likes the Warcraft series. Blizzard really does a great job on this type of game. The story lines behind the game are good enough to keep me interested and the missions are tough enough that some thought is usually required. I say usually because there are some missions that seem to just happen and you can't help but accomplish the goal just by showing up.

Half-Life 2 has been delayed until next year. The source code fiasco has caused Valve lots of issues.

Cycling

My hometown has spent the week hosting the Road Cycling World Championships. It has been excellent. While I have only gone to the venues once just to experience it, the rest of my family has gone every day and have glowing reports of not only the racing but the entire flavour of the event. Cycling is not exactly my sport of choice but I have been impressed at how great the city looks on TV. The Elite Men go today. Should be exciting.

Finished Halo last night. Overall, the single player game is very good. It didn't break any new ground, but I didn't get bored and really wanted to finish the whole thing to see the ending of the story. That is the sign of a good game, in my opinion. I haven't been thrilled with the multiplayer mode. But I have only tried the deathmatch. There are a ton of options here, from CTF to Last Man Standing as well as Team options for each. Tough part is finding good servers running these options.

You DON'T always get what you paid for

You know the old saying "You get what you pay for"? Well, in the world of computer gaming, it doesn't have to be that way. Some of the best games I have played have been free. Top quality games. And no I am NOT talking about WAREZ. Games like Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. This is a game that was originally scheduled to go retail and some how ended up being released for FREE! It's games like this that make gaming life good.
If first person shooters and team play aren't your cup of tea, try something like POGO. This is a free gaming service that has many of the solitaire type games that you may already be playing but rewards you for winning. You receive tokens that can be traded in for "lottery" tickets that can earn you cash. Cool.

In my crosshairs

Steam seems to be ironing out many of the kinks. But it is still too unreliable. Their forums are loaded with disgruntled gamers.

This has nothing to do with games but....
Ontario elected a new Premier last Thursday. McGuinty's liberals crushed the opposition, promising to revitalize the province. But already he is laying the ground work to back out of some of his high priced promises. His eagerness to study the books, despite his statement to the contrary, is just politic-speak for, "I am looking for something they didn't tell me, so I can blame them for not doing what I said I would". Time will tell...

I have been playing Halo for the PC. What a cool game. It's mindless first-person shooter fare but the eye-candy is stunning.

Valve announced that they had been hacked and source code was stolen. So much for the Half-life 2 being cheat free. I'll probably still buy the game, but the on-line experience promises to be a royal pain.