If you are a PC owner running some flavor of Windows, have you had a chance to try out Google Chrome yet? Chrome is a new internet browser created by the fine folks at Google. Now, you may be asking yourself why you might want to try yet another browser, but if you’re like me, you like running programs that have very small footprints and don’t eat up a lot of resources. As much as I love Safari, Firefox, and Camino, they are a bit resource intensive, and running slightly older hardware means I need to conserve as much processing power as possible.

But wait, isn’t Camino a browser for the Mac OS? Yes, yes it is, which brings me to the point of this blog post - where’s my Chrome? You know, the version for us Apple lovers. Well, according to Google’s website, the Mac and Linux versions are currently under development. This is fine and all, but I am really anxious to try it out on my aging PowerBook G4, otherwise known as ‘Old Faithful’. Truth be told, I’d prefer Google take their time and get it right then push out a sloppy, half-arsed release, but I am looking forward to the day I can run my games in windowed mode without having to shutdown my browser to help increase performance.

- Joshua

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One of the first games I got after getting my Xbox 360 a couple years back as a birthday present (thanks, sweetie!) was Dead Rising. Being the huge zombie nut that I am, I was very, very excited to play this game, and it was one of the primary reasons I wanted a 360 over any other system. Decimating hordes of zombies in a closed up shopping mall - parallels to Dawn of the Dead notwithstanding - what could be better? Just about any other game, apparently, because I could not get into it no matter how hard I tried. The controls were frustrating, the difficulty level was insane, the spread-out save points were an exercise in frustration, the survivor AI was horrid, etc. It took me less than a week to decide to trade it in for something else.

Now, almost two years later, when I look at people’s played games lists on XBL, I see that people are still playing it. Video game message forums still have active threads devoted to it, and most stores carry it new for $20. For these reasons, despite my initial reaction, I decided to pick it up again. I’m not sure what is so different after two years, but I’m really like this game. It is still difficult, but I think it helps add to the atmosphere and generates a nice sense of tension. After all, you are are trapped in a mall with hundreds and hundreds of zombies. The bosses are interesting, the story is engrossing in a campy horror sort of way, and the graphics still hold up fairly well to today’s games.

So, why didn’t I like it when I first played it? Honestly, I think it had something to do with not playing console games for a couple of years before getting my 360. Dead Rising really is a tough game, so I’m not sure if it’s the best games to subject “console n00bs” to. Given two years and a slew of other games to hone my skills with, I’m definitely happy I decided to give it another go.

- Joshua

Filed under dead rising video game xbox 360 zombie undead

/rant-mode on

I don’t think I’ve ever used any other piece of software that gets updated more often then iTunes. Almost every time a software update comes down the pipe for OS X, some update and/or fix for iTunes is somehow attached to it. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to restart my computer with each and every update, but when I have multiple programs open that I’m using needing to be shutdown and re-opened when the restart finishes, well, let’s just say it bugs the crap out of me.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t commend Apple for being so diligent about updating their software, and iTunes is one very complex program. Housing an audio player, video player, and a full-featured storefront for downloadable content, it really does handle a lot of tasks in one package, necessitating lots of updates on a regular basis. It never fails to grind my gears, though, whenever the software update pops up with a need to update on what seems like a weekly basis.

/rant-mode off

- Joshua

Filed under itunes apple computer software

With the holiday season upon us, video game manufacturer’s are gearing up to release their “big dog” titles. With so many intriguing games coming out between now and the new year, I’ve had to whittle my selection down to three games. The following list, presented in no particular order, is what I’ve decided to drop my cash on:

1) Gears of War 2 - Even though I didn’t go gaga like the majority of Xbox 360 owners for the first installment, Epic Games looks like it might be stepping up the amount of content in Gears of War 2 - enough so that I’m interested in picking it up. My primary source of on-line shooter action has been Halo 3, so I’ve been itching to play around with something new. Hopefully GW2 has what it takes to scratch that itch.

2) Fallout 3 - When Black Isle Studios closed their doors, gamers were certain the future of the Fallout franchise was doomed. Fortunately for us, Bethesda Softworks snagged up the opportunity to produce Fallout 3, and we’ll all be able to get our eager hands on it later this month. Honestly, if I didn’t have responsibilities to tend to, I would be preparing to shut myself into our condo for however long it took me to finish it. If the overall length of their last game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, is any indication of how massive Fallout 3 will be, I probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day for a long, long time.

3) Prince of Persia - Honestly, I had little interest in this game prior to watching this gameplay demonstration. After being horribly let down by Assassin’s Creed, I turned my attention towards other upcoming games - other non-Ubisoft games. Though I could end up getting burned again, that video does pique my interest. I will probably wait for reviews before deciding to purchase it, but I’m hoping the final verdict is positive.

There are a few more titles I may or may not pick up. I’m definitely getting the first two in this list, though. If the rest of the games I’m eyeballing turn out to be too good to pass up, the list could wind up getting a few entries longer.

- Joshua

Filed under video games xbox 360

I’ve been wanting to change the look of the site for a few days now, so I figured the ushering in of a new month was as good a time as any for a revamp. I’m not completely happy with this layout, but a cleaner, simpler design is what I’m shooting for. I’ll be playing with style variations and testing new templates as time permits, so don’t be surprised if the look keeps changing over the next few weeks. Honestly, though, whatever Linda likes most is what I’ll be happiest with, too.

- Joshua

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