Many things have changed in WoW over the past 6 years. Class mechanics have changed numerous times that classes today plays nothing like when the game originally came out. The game itself has changed not just the cosmetic change with Cataclysm but the game mechanic itself. This is what makes WoW the best MMO out there because it's constantly evolving, for better or worse. I can sit here and say that the game is always evolving toward mainstream audience since it's getting easier and easier, but at the mean time it's not such a bad thing all together seeing as it's becoming more and more accessible.
One thing that has never changed is the epic music in WoW. With whatever changes it may deliver with each content patch or each expansion pack, WoW has always had that glorious music. Long after the game is dead, many other MMOs will learn from many things that made WoW great, the lore, the classes, the game play, the smallest detail, the constant updates and many more. I will always remember the game that has some of the production values and music that we have ever seen in the game industry. The epic music starts right away at your log in screen and here is some nostalgia to the past WoW log in screens.
-World of Warcraft (Vanilla)
-The Burning Crusade
-Wrath of the Lich King (my personal favorite)
-Cataclysm
Sunday, December 19, 2010
nostalgia part 2 (a World of Warcraft special)
Cataclysm is here and the world of Azeroth as we know it is no longer the same. There are many things I personally will miss about the game, yes I don't play the game anymore but it was part of my life for the better part of last 6 years and whether good or bad it will be missed.
Blizzard usually don't screw up very often and when they do they almost address it immediately in the form of a content patch. People that plays WoW know what I am talking about as we have see endless changes with raids in term of difficulties and how the encounter works. People have also moaned and groaned whenever Blizzard changes how fundamentally a class works through buffs and nerfs. But after all It's Blizzard's way of tweaking the game mechanics in response to the community, they are trying to fix the game through each patch whether you believe it or not. One glaring omission however still remains in the game. Blizzard introduced pvp arena with the release of the Burning Crusade and it has been a total failure, even Blizzard themselves have admitted so. But guess what, arena is still in the game. Personally I feel like it destroyed pvp in WoW, the old battleground was not skill based but neither is arena. It was the purpose of arena but with the game so unbalanced around certain classes and gear sets, it turned into a faceroll competition of who has the best geared warlocks, rogues and healers. Don't get me wrong I played in arena as a gimp shadow priest in 3v3 and got to top 5 in the battle group, it was a real feat considering that if I kept on playing at the time I would have been one of the few Gladiators in that season that wasn't a warlock, rogue, warrior or some type of healer.
To be honest I miss the good old battlegrounds of large group pvp, that was WoW at its best. With Cataclysm Blizzard again is not removing arena in fear of warlock uprising since the warlock community seems to believe it takes true skill to play a warlock and the best place to display such skill is in arena. However Blizzard is making Battlegrounds relevant again now that you can gain pvp points from doing battlegrounds vs just in arena. I am really looking forward to getting the old pvp titles back too, now it's time to enjoy the old battleground music while one gets pumped up to slay thy alliance scum!
Blizzard usually don't screw up very often and when they do they almost address it immediately in the form of a content patch. People that plays WoW know what I am talking about as we have see endless changes with raids in term of difficulties and how the encounter works. People have also moaned and groaned whenever Blizzard changes how fundamentally a class works through buffs and nerfs. But after all It's Blizzard's way of tweaking the game mechanics in response to the community, they are trying to fix the game through each patch whether you believe it or not. One glaring omission however still remains in the game. Blizzard introduced pvp arena with the release of the Burning Crusade and it has been a total failure, even Blizzard themselves have admitted so. But guess what, arena is still in the game. Personally I feel like it destroyed pvp in WoW, the old battleground was not skill based but neither is arena. It was the purpose of arena but with the game so unbalanced around certain classes and gear sets, it turned into a faceroll competition of who has the best geared warlocks, rogues and healers. Don't get me wrong I played in arena as a gimp shadow priest in 3v3 and got to top 5 in the battle group, it was a real feat considering that if I kept on playing at the time I would have been one of the few Gladiators in that season that wasn't a warlock, rogue, warrior or some type of healer.
To be honest I miss the good old battlegrounds of large group pvp, that was WoW at its best. With Cataclysm Blizzard again is not removing arena in fear of warlock uprising since the warlock community seems to believe it takes true skill to play a warlock and the best place to display such skill is in arena. However Blizzard is making Battlegrounds relevant again now that you can gain pvp points from doing battlegrounds vs just in arena. I am really looking forward to getting the old pvp titles back too, now it's time to enjoy the old battleground music while one gets pumped up to slay thy alliance scum!
Random Thoughts part 2: Windy city edition
As Random Thoughts part 1 indicated that I don't travel very often, usually no more than 100 miles away from home. But sometimes life leads you to places that you never dreamed of going, and this time it led me to Chicago.
It has been some 13 years since I last boarded a plane. Some people suggested that I drive to Chicago instead of flying but there were two major flaws with that line of thinking:
-I absolutely hate driving. My car is not comfortable enough to allow me sitting in one position for more than an hour. I am also a conservative when it comes to driving long periods of time, the more I'm on the road the more pissed off I am with other driver and more prone to accidents. It's law of large numbers, its a fact. If those weren't enough then after driving 6 hours to the other side of the state had proven my theory nicely.
-I hate driving in the city. You could bundle this with I hate driving overall but a nice cruise in the country side is nothing like driving in the city, and in this case in Chicago.
That being said I chose to fly to the windy city. Since I haven't done this in a long time there were a few observations along the way.
-don't fucking pay for all your bags. It's a fucking rip off, big time. Unless you enjoy paying 30 dollars for a bag then I suggest carrying at least one or two with you. But the problems is the airline check in system isn't exactly very user friendly, it keeps asking you to pay for this and that sometimes you miss click and paid for something you don't even know.
-After 9/11 they have really upped the security at airports. Okay it's nothing like dogs and FBI agents standing around but I didn't realize you can't bring water bottles on with you anymore.
-After boarding the plane everything is pretty uneventful. The plane ride only took about 50 minutes, much less stressful than what would be 8 hours of driving. I didn't get lost in Chicago O'Hara airport like some people suggested, and my supposed limo service turned out to be a Russian dude driving a Mercedes. But everything worked out pretty nicely.
The hotel was pretty nice. It had 2 dinning services and my room had an 40 inch HDTV. One thing I don't get is why every hotel out there all have a copy of the bible? And they all look exactly the same too. Other than that the week in windy city was pretty boring, we didn't get to see much of the city not that I really cared. After all it was a business trip not a pleasure vacation. One thing that was very interesting to me was that since I don't travel much I don't meet a lot of people, but this trip had many others that were from all over the country. It really opened my eyes talking to them. From an Italian dude from Brooklyn, NYC to a good old country boy from Alabama, everyone was cool to talk to.
Chicago seems like an ages ago now that I am back, but it definitely went a lot better than I initially predicted.
It has been some 13 years since I last boarded a plane. Some people suggested that I drive to Chicago instead of flying but there were two major flaws with that line of thinking:
-I absolutely hate driving. My car is not comfortable enough to allow me sitting in one position for more than an hour. I am also a conservative when it comes to driving long periods of time, the more I'm on the road the more pissed off I am with other driver and more prone to accidents. It's law of large numbers, its a fact. If those weren't enough then after driving 6 hours to the other side of the state had proven my theory nicely.
-I hate driving in the city. You could bundle this with I hate driving overall but a nice cruise in the country side is nothing like driving in the city, and in this case in Chicago.
That being said I chose to fly to the windy city. Since I haven't done this in a long time there were a few observations along the way.
-don't fucking pay for all your bags. It's a fucking rip off, big time. Unless you enjoy paying 30 dollars for a bag then I suggest carrying at least one or two with you. But the problems is the airline check in system isn't exactly very user friendly, it keeps asking you to pay for this and that sometimes you miss click and paid for something you don't even know.
-After 9/11 they have really upped the security at airports. Okay it's nothing like dogs and FBI agents standing around but I didn't realize you can't bring water bottles on with you anymore.
-After boarding the plane everything is pretty uneventful. The plane ride only took about 50 minutes, much less stressful than what would be 8 hours of driving. I didn't get lost in Chicago O'Hara airport like some people suggested, and my supposed limo service turned out to be a Russian dude driving a Mercedes. But everything worked out pretty nicely.
The hotel was pretty nice. It had 2 dinning services and my room had an 40 inch HDTV. One thing I don't get is why every hotel out there all have a copy of the bible? And they all look exactly the same too. Other than that the week in windy city was pretty boring, we didn't get to see much of the city not that I really cared. After all it was a business trip not a pleasure vacation. One thing that was very interesting to me was that since I don't travel much I don't meet a lot of people, but this trip had many others that were from all over the country. It really opened my eyes talking to them. From an Italian dude from Brooklyn, NYC to a good old country boy from Alabama, everyone was cool to talk to.
Chicago seems like an ages ago now that I am back, but it definitely went a lot better than I initially predicted.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Diablo 3 in 2011?
The official word will always be soon, but if you can believe this picture of what suppose to be leaked official Blizzard product calender then yes, it's coming in 2011.
link
link
Random Thoughts part 1
For those that actually read our blog I realize that it has been awhile since we updated the blog last, what can I say the cat had to take a nap...that was about 5 months long. Well the truth of the matter is that everyone was extremely busy with real life but do not worry because yawning cat is back and better than ever.
This post is dedicated to what was happening with me in the recent weeks and future parts will be the updates on each following weeks. Anyways as everyone knows one tend to have a lot random thoughts in a long period of time with nothing to do, especially when you are in a car driving across the state. That's exactly what I had to do last week when I drove from eastern side of Pennsylvania to the western side and it generally take about 6 hours going from north side of Pittsburgh to just outside of Philadelphia.
-Hour one. I knew that I can just take the interstate highway and make it a straight shot there but that would be too boring. To make things more exciting I wanted to see if it was possible to drive around and not pay any toll at all. Started driving on the highway and it was a pretty relaxing drive in a beautiful sunny December day. I started to think this was not too bad I can do this for 6 hours no problem.
-Hour two. Still on the same highway and started to get bored after looking at endless empty lands with trees. Decided to put in the Harry Potter audio CDs in and listen to it, but the road was still very much straight and boring, not much excitement there.
-Hour three. Closed in on a toll station, decided to get on a different highway that felt like I was going backwards. Now nearing PA state college which is middle of the state. Totally not paying any attention to the Harry Potter CD although what I can tell was the person who did the reading was very good. Around the state college the traffic got a little bit hectic. Started to think what I got myself into.
-Hour four. Back on a different highway now going west again. Started to get some discomfort as my head and my lower back started to hurt after sitting there for so long. But I refused to stop somewhere and rest, was making good time. This was when the driving started to get interesting, for awhile I had to get off the highway to avoid another toll and got into a small town. Drove for about 15 minutes and back on another highway but now on top of mountains going down hill. The roads were twisty and very steep yet everyone was flying down at 90 mph which was quite scary. Started to think real hard on what I got myself into and total was not listening to Potter, might even listened the same CD twice. After the steep decent I was back on straight way again except I was on the side of the mountain and the highway to go the other direction was nowhere insight. Soon enough I was in the hectic traffic outside of Harrisburg.
-Hour Five. Somehow swerved through traffic and survived. I guess I'm not in Pittsburgh anymore. Couple drastic moves through four lane highways and got off Harrisburg to avoid another toll. Seriously thought about how anyone could ever enjoy a drive more than an hour. At this point both my head and my back were killing me and I had a million different things I can do other than driving for 6 hours. Starting to really hate life and how it makes us the slaves and society, yes I know it was totally random but why else would I be sitting in a car for six hours torturing myself unless I enjoy pissing money on petrol? On a small country road at this point and probably for 30 minutes until I got into another city of Lancaster. Had to stop for petrol and came to a sudden realization that I was close since the past 5 hours seemed like eternity. Drove out of Lancaster back on a country road for 20 minutes more until I was in the city highway again.
-Hour six. After couple near accidents on city highway I was safely at my hotel destination. Finally was able to relax and felt pretty good mentally, although physically I couldn't feel my ass anymore. Watched TV in my hotel made me realize just how much I can piss away time watching TV and how much I missed not having TV for the past year.
Later on the first night I decided to go buy some stuff at local Wal-Mart and after almost getting into a few accidents because apparently Wal-Mart was in the neighboring town and the only way to get there is to get on the city highway and deal with the worst city traffic I had ever seen. Other than that the week was pretty uneventful and the drive back was a lot more relaxing although I did get lost on a stretch of highway with no turning around for 70 miles. Still I thought I went a lot faster and smoother than the drive there for some reason. Stay tuned for my adventure next week to Chicago.
This post is dedicated to what was happening with me in the recent weeks and future parts will be the updates on each following weeks. Anyways as everyone knows one tend to have a lot random thoughts in a long period of time with nothing to do, especially when you are in a car driving across the state. That's exactly what I had to do last week when I drove from eastern side of Pennsylvania to the western side and it generally take about 6 hours going from north side of Pittsburgh to just outside of Philadelphia.
-Hour one. I knew that I can just take the interstate highway and make it a straight shot there but that would be too boring. To make things more exciting I wanted to see if it was possible to drive around and not pay any toll at all. Started driving on the highway and it was a pretty relaxing drive in a beautiful sunny December day. I started to think this was not too bad I can do this for 6 hours no problem.
-Hour two. Still on the same highway and started to get bored after looking at endless empty lands with trees. Decided to put in the Harry Potter audio CDs in and listen to it, but the road was still very much straight and boring, not much excitement there.
-Hour three. Closed in on a toll station, decided to get on a different highway that felt like I was going backwards. Now nearing PA state college which is middle of the state. Totally not paying any attention to the Harry Potter CD although what I can tell was the person who did the reading was very good. Around the state college the traffic got a little bit hectic. Started to think what I got myself into.
-Hour four. Back on a different highway now going west again. Started to get some discomfort as my head and my lower back started to hurt after sitting there for so long. But I refused to stop somewhere and rest, was making good time. This was when the driving started to get interesting, for awhile I had to get off the highway to avoid another toll and got into a small town. Drove for about 15 minutes and back on another highway but now on top of mountains going down hill. The roads were twisty and very steep yet everyone was flying down at 90 mph which was quite scary. Started to think real hard on what I got myself into and total was not listening to Potter, might even listened the same CD twice. After the steep decent I was back on straight way again except I was on the side of the mountain and the highway to go the other direction was nowhere insight. Soon enough I was in the hectic traffic outside of Harrisburg.
-Hour Five. Somehow swerved through traffic and survived. I guess I'm not in Pittsburgh anymore. Couple drastic moves through four lane highways and got off Harrisburg to avoid another toll. Seriously thought about how anyone could ever enjoy a drive more than an hour. At this point both my head and my back were killing me and I had a million different things I can do other than driving for 6 hours. Starting to really hate life and how it makes us the slaves and society, yes I know it was totally random but why else would I be sitting in a car for six hours torturing myself unless I enjoy pissing money on petrol? On a small country road at this point and probably for 30 minutes until I got into another city of Lancaster. Had to stop for petrol and came to a sudden realization that I was close since the past 5 hours seemed like eternity. Drove out of Lancaster back on a country road for 20 minutes more until I was in the city highway again.
-Hour six. After couple near accidents on city highway I was safely at my hotel destination. Finally was able to relax and felt pretty good mentally, although physically I couldn't feel my ass anymore. Watched TV in my hotel made me realize just how much I can piss away time watching TV and how much I missed not having TV for the past year.
Later on the first night I decided to go buy some stuff at local Wal-Mart and after almost getting into a few accidents because apparently Wal-Mart was in the neighboring town and the only way to get there is to get on the city highway and deal with the worst city traffic I had ever seen. Other than that the week was pretty uneventful and the drive back was a lot more relaxing although I did get lost on a stretch of highway with no turning around for 70 miles. Still I thought I went a lot faster and smoother than the drive there for some reason. Stay tuned for my adventure next week to Chicago.
Friday, December 3, 2010
nostalgia part 1 (a World of Warcraft special)
It's scary to think that recently World of Warcraft turned 6 years old, that's almost 1/4 of my entire life time!!! Blizzard truly has a strong grasp on 12 million fresh souls. It is also sad on this date what we know as WoW for the past 6 years will be permanently changed from the smallest detail due to the current expansion pack Cataclysm, and that made me think of all those great things I love about WoW that is about to disappear even though I quit the game 2 months ago (for the 4th time).
What will I miss more than that sweet music when you first walk into the Horde Capital of Orgrimmar? I only spent the better part of last 6 years running in a perfect circle on top of the bank roof while the music is being permanently burned into my brain. Well here is the Orgrimmar music, I will miss you!
And here is the music that will be the new Orgrimmar for the next....who knows how long.
What will I miss more than that sweet music when you first walk into the Horde Capital of Orgrimmar? I only spent the better part of last 6 years running in a perfect circle on top of the bank roof while the music is being permanently burned into my brain. Well here is the Orgrimmar music, I will miss you!
And here is the music that will be the new Orgrimmar for the next....who knows how long.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Texas and Pussy
Why spend money on these cat houses when you can use an ordinary plastic bag? 
And random thought of the day. Good thing I didn't move to Texas, because I don't know what it's all about. Apparently it's the home of players and pimps.
sick beats though.
And random thought of the day. Good thing I didn't move to Texas, because I don't know what it's all about. Apparently it's the home of players and pimps.
sick beats though.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Purple Drank
It's purple purp purple purp purple and swallow it down
with the yurple yip yurple yip yurples
It's going down!
with the yurple yip yurple yip yurples
It's going down!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Battle of Entry Level Luxury cars, part 3.
Continued from the last part. We are starting to get a theme here on these cars, most of them get the luxury part right with the big, heavy cars that rides very smooth but somewhat boring demeanor make them have a disconnected feel while driving. So far only Infiniti gets it right but good thing we save the best for last.
-Bundesrepublik Deutschland
1. Bavarian Motor Works
There is a reason that year after year BMW 3 series has been considered as the best car in the world, and there is a reason that the famed 3 series is used as the benchmark for all other entry luxury cars in this segment. The latest 3 series has done it again, while all other cars in this segment has gotten bigger, and heavier to promote the luxury feel the 3 series has retained its nimbleness and thrill on the road. The current 3 series has gotten bigger over the years as well just like all other cars but it is the smallest in this class, all others we have looked at are bigger than 185 inches weighing over 3500 lbs making them perfect mid size family sedans. The 3 series however is only 178 inches making it slightly longer than compact cars out there, and this way it really has that sports car handling. The Bavaria's best also has some other thing up its sleeves in making this the best driving machine on the road. Under the hood is the award winning inline 6 engine that has been in BMWs cars for decades, it has superior power deliver compare to regular V6 engines and its also a lot smoother than V6. However it is much more expensive to produce than V6 but you pay for the best. BMW engineers also utilizes the ingenious 50/50 weight distribution. Most cars with engine in the front are usually heavier in the front, this is common sense. Therefore most cars you see on the road are 60% weight in the front and 40% weight in the back, this makes front engine cars nose heavy and harder to handle than mid engine cars such as most European sports cars. All BMWs have the perfect 50/50 weight distribution despite being a front engine car, and no there is no extra weight being added in the back to off set the weight in the front, because a 328i weights less than an Acura TSX. Back to the 3.0L I6 found in 328i, it produces 230 hp and 200 ft/lb of torque. It may not sound like a lot but for this small of a car its plenty, and you get most of it at the lower rpm. The superior German engineering is not a myth and it is on full display with the BMW 3 series. The entry level 328i is not the fastest car in this class but it does have similar 0-60 number as the Cadillac CTS which has a much bigger engine, and it is a much refined car in all aspects than the CTS. It is definitely one of the best on the road in every category except for the G37 but that car compares better to the more expensive 335i rather than the entry level 328i.
2. Mercedes-Benz
In the luxury world there is no name bigger than Mercedes. All rich people drive it and all poor people want it. It doesn't matter what era you are looking at, Mercedes has always been the best at producing luxury cars and that begs the question, can they change and compete with BMW to produce the best sport sedan at the entry level? There is no question the flag ship S class from Mercedes is the best you can find anywhere, but not everyone has 150000 dollars for cars and not everyone that want to drive a boat that makes you feel like that you are sitting in first class of a airplane. In coming the new C class from Mercedes, its only 182 inches long, weights only slightly over 3500 lbs and suspiciously it has a V6 that makes around 230 hp. This all sound very much like the BMW 3 series but all the racing history from Mercedes can not save them from this one. It drives very much like all other Mercedes, which is smooth ride, smooth acceleration, smooth steering...everything is so disengaging that it can put you to sleep. Its definitely luxury at its best but that is the exact problem I had when I started this blog, the market is changing and younger people don't drive boring cars like that.
Mercedes is still the ultimate symbol for wealth however and no one can take away that from them. So if you are buying a car to show off on the road, then Mercedes Benz is the right choice.
3. Audi
Audi has been overlooked a lot in the discussions of which auto maker from Germany makes best cars. Truth to be told that once a while that Audi makes better cars than both BMW and Mercedes but they are just not consistent enough to over come the name brand of those two much larger companies. Inconsistency is the key word here, its like Audi can never make up its mind on what it wants to do. Whether it wants to produce a more luxury driving experience like Mercedes or make a very sporty to beat the 3 series, its always moving back and forth. And the end result of that is its stuck in between. In coming the new Audi A4, recently scrapping the bigger V6 engine from its engine of choices and sticking to only the small I4 engine. Its like completely opposite of what Acura is doing with the TSX. Audi knows that the V6 model starting way too expensive to compete with 328i or c300 and it also got close to their own A5 so it had to be scrapped. However that left us with a turbo charged 2.0L I4 that makes 210 HP similar to what you get in a VW GTI, except there is just one small problem, or large one rather. The A4 is one of the bigger car in this class at 185 inches and 3700 lbs its is a whopping 20 inches longer than the GTI and 600 lbs heavier. Its still a pretty fast car since you get a lot of the power early due to the turbo but there is definitely a difference in driving a truck and a mustang even if they might have a similar engine. Also with the car being this big you can be sure the driving dynamics will not be as good as the 3 series. You will have to go to the next trim in the A4 platform which is the S4 to find any type of trill but with an S4 costing 5000 dollars more to start than the 335i but its not as good as the M3, basically stuck in the middle again.
-Conclusion
There are a lot of competitions in this segment and each ones of them is a very good car, but you can not deny that they are all very different cars trying to achieve the real sports sedan crown that BMW 3 series has held for so long.
Performance wise out of the pack the Infiniti G37 is definitely the best with its 328 HP V6 that travels from 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. Now you may say there are other non-luxury 4 door sports car on the market with the same performance, so why do you want to pay 34 grand for a luxury car pretending to be a sports car? Well take another look, both non-luxury sports cars such as the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO costs the same or even more than the G37.
If you are that old person looking for a boring, steady luxury car than you might want to look at Lexus or Acura, they carry the quality assurance that comes associated with Honda and Toyota but if you just think about it, Why spend up to 10 grand more for a re-badged Honda Accord or Toyota Camry when you can...well buy an Accord and Camry? The Acura TSX is a straight re-badge of Accord while the Lexus IS 250 is not but its so boring and disconnected it might as well be a Camry.
In the end if you want to have an all around car is does everything well but nothing best out of this group then you have to go back to the roots and take look at the BMW 328i. Its not the fastest, doesn't have the most comfortable ride, nor does it have all the latest tech gadgets but it would scored 8/10 on every category. It's the most engaging car to drive on the road, maybe even more so than the G37, its got the most smooth power delivering engine and a very smooth ride, very close to that of a Mercedes C300. Quality wise German auto makers has always been known for electrical problems, but with Lexus and others adding more and more electronic gadgets can you truly say they will be better in the foreseeable future?
-Bundesrepublik Deutschland
1. Bavarian Motor Works
There is a reason that year after year BMW 3 series has been considered as the best car in the world, and there is a reason that the famed 3 series is used as the benchmark for all other entry luxury cars in this segment. The latest 3 series has done it again, while all other cars in this segment has gotten bigger, and heavier to promote the luxury feel the 3 series has retained its nimbleness and thrill on the road. The current 3 series has gotten bigger over the years as well just like all other cars but it is the smallest in this class, all others we have looked at are bigger than 185 inches weighing over 3500 lbs making them perfect mid size family sedans. The 3 series however is only 178 inches making it slightly longer than compact cars out there, and this way it really has that sports car handling. The Bavaria's best also has some other thing up its sleeves in making this the best driving machine on the road. Under the hood is the award winning inline 6 engine that has been in BMWs cars for decades, it has superior power deliver compare to regular V6 engines and its also a lot smoother than V6. However it is much more expensive to produce than V6 but you pay for the best. BMW engineers also utilizes the ingenious 50/50 weight distribution. Most cars with engine in the front are usually heavier in the front, this is common sense. Therefore most cars you see on the road are 60% weight in the front and 40% weight in the back, this makes front engine cars nose heavy and harder to handle than mid engine cars such as most European sports cars. All BMWs have the perfect 50/50 weight distribution despite being a front engine car, and no there is no extra weight being added in the back to off set the weight in the front, because a 328i weights less than an Acura TSX. Back to the 3.0L I6 found in 328i, it produces 230 hp and 200 ft/lb of torque. It may not sound like a lot but for this small of a car its plenty, and you get most of it at the lower rpm. The superior German engineering is not a myth and it is on full display with the BMW 3 series. The entry level 328i is not the fastest car in this class but it does have similar 0-60 number as the Cadillac CTS which has a much bigger engine, and it is a much refined car in all aspects than the CTS. It is definitely one of the best on the road in every category except for the G37 but that car compares better to the more expensive 335i rather than the entry level 328i.
2. Mercedes-Benz
In the luxury world there is no name bigger than Mercedes. All rich people drive it and all poor people want it. It doesn't matter what era you are looking at, Mercedes has always been the best at producing luxury cars and that begs the question, can they change and compete with BMW to produce the best sport sedan at the entry level? There is no question the flag ship S class from Mercedes is the best you can find anywhere, but not everyone has 150000 dollars for cars and not everyone that want to drive a boat that makes you feel like that you are sitting in first class of a airplane. In coming the new C class from Mercedes, its only 182 inches long, weights only slightly over 3500 lbs and suspiciously it has a V6 that makes around 230 hp. This all sound very much like the BMW 3 series but all the racing history from Mercedes can not save them from this one. It drives very much like all other Mercedes, which is smooth ride, smooth acceleration, smooth steering...everything is so disengaging that it can put you to sleep. Its definitely luxury at its best but that is the exact problem I had when I started this blog, the market is changing and younger people don't drive boring cars like that.
Mercedes is still the ultimate symbol for wealth however and no one can take away that from them. So if you are buying a car to show off on the road, then Mercedes Benz is the right choice.
3. Audi
Audi has been overlooked a lot in the discussions of which auto maker from Germany makes best cars. Truth to be told that once a while that Audi makes better cars than both BMW and Mercedes but they are just not consistent enough to over come the name brand of those two much larger companies. Inconsistency is the key word here, its like Audi can never make up its mind on what it wants to do. Whether it wants to produce a more luxury driving experience like Mercedes or make a very sporty to beat the 3 series, its always moving back and forth. And the end result of that is its stuck in between. In coming the new Audi A4, recently scrapping the bigger V6 engine from its engine of choices and sticking to only the small I4 engine. Its like completely opposite of what Acura is doing with the TSX. Audi knows that the V6 model starting way too expensive to compete with 328i or c300 and it also got close to their own A5 so it had to be scrapped. However that left us with a turbo charged 2.0L I4 that makes 210 HP similar to what you get in a VW GTI, except there is just one small problem, or large one rather. The A4 is one of the bigger car in this class at 185 inches and 3700 lbs its is a whopping 20 inches longer than the GTI and 600 lbs heavier. Its still a pretty fast car since you get a lot of the power early due to the turbo but there is definitely a difference in driving a truck and a mustang even if they might have a similar engine. Also with the car being this big you can be sure the driving dynamics will not be as good as the 3 series. You will have to go to the next trim in the A4 platform which is the S4 to find any type of trill but with an S4 costing 5000 dollars more to start than the 335i but its not as good as the M3, basically stuck in the middle again.
-Conclusion
There are a lot of competitions in this segment and each ones of them is a very good car, but you can not deny that they are all very different cars trying to achieve the real sports sedan crown that BMW 3 series has held for so long.
Performance wise out of the pack the Infiniti G37 is definitely the best with its 328 HP V6 that travels from 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. Now you may say there are other non-luxury 4 door sports car on the market with the same performance, so why do you want to pay 34 grand for a luxury car pretending to be a sports car? Well take another look, both non-luxury sports cars such as the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO costs the same or even more than the G37.
If you are that old person looking for a boring, steady luxury car than you might want to look at Lexus or Acura, they carry the quality assurance that comes associated with Honda and Toyota but if you just think about it, Why spend up to 10 grand more for a re-badged Honda Accord or Toyota Camry when you can...well buy an Accord and Camry? The Acura TSX is a straight re-badge of Accord while the Lexus IS 250 is not but its so boring and disconnected it might as well be a Camry.
In the end if you want to have an all around car is does everything well but nothing best out of this group then you have to go back to the roots and take look at the BMW 328i. Its not the fastest, doesn't have the most comfortable ride, nor does it have all the latest tech gadgets but it would scored 8/10 on every category. It's the most engaging car to drive on the road, maybe even more so than the G37, its got the most smooth power delivering engine and a very smooth ride, very close to that of a Mercedes C300. Quality wise German auto makers has always been known for electrical problems, but with Lexus and others adding more and more electronic gadgets can you truly say they will be better in the foreseeable future?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Battle of the Entry Level Luxury cars, part 2.
As we can see that American Auto Makers are largely unwilling to change their products in order to fit the current needs of this segment, but at the mean time the Japanese are doing everything they can do dominate every segment out there.
-Land of the Rising Sun
1. Acura
Honda has been in the US market as long as we can remember, and they have always dominated in one particular segment, the cheap family sedan segment. But this once racing bike manufacturer is still known more overseas for its high performing, high revving VTEC engine. The engine is said to be the father of all modern day variable timing engines, and the architecture has remained same for few decades. Honda's brand image in the US was cheap, reliable but what people didn't know was they were selling a lot more expensive track cars with the VTEC engine. Therefore they had to do something about all their high performance cars segment since everyone that was buying a Civic in the US wasn't about to dish out double premium for a different Honda. In coming the Acura name tag that is specially created for the North American market. This was a absolute genius move at the time as Honda pretty much moved all of their high performance cars like the Integra and others that were slightly better built than the Civic and Accord. Over the years they have enjoyed the success Acura has brought them in North America, but you can hardly call Acura a substantially different brand than Honda. The Integra was built much like its brother the Civic, in another word a tin can. The only luxury option you could find on it was leather seats and that was on the higher trim. As time went on Honda realized that they need to improve differentiating Acura from its core Honda cars in order to face changes in the luxury car segment. Long story short, Acura took in the features that made German auto makers great in the modern era. In coming the entry level Acura TSX as Acura was phasing out all of their boy racer "tin can" cars such as the Integra and the RSX. The TSX is built like a hybrid of an American and German car. It is big and heavy, like a real luxury car but there lies the underlying problem. The VTEC engine traditionally is a small 4 cylinder engine, and it works well on Honda cars because they are built like a real track car, small, extremely light, so when you revving it up to 8000 RPM for 170 HP the car is very fun to drive. But not when you are powering a 3500 lb beast. As a entry level luxury car the TSX is much larger than the BMW 3 series and even the Mercedes C class, its not quite as big as the Cadillac CTS but its close. But the CTS is powered by a large 300 HP V6 not a small 200 HP I4. So when you drive the TSX it has lost all the fun factors that made the Integra great, its not nimble, its not fast, and it definitely feels like you have to work way too hard to get the car going, all killer no nos for a luxury car. Good thing Honda is not an American brand, they quickly changed that by putting a large V6 engine as an option on the TSX, but this had 2 implications. One is that with the V6 the TSX starts at 35000 dollars which is at least 1000 dollars more than the BMW 328i and Mercedes C300. Two it is now about the same price as the Acura TL which is much larger car filled with much more luxury options. Over all it feels that Acura has lost its soul in this car, even with the V6 it drives like a big family sedan rather than a nimble sport sedan that everyone strives to be at this entry segment, it drives too much like the Honda Accord if you will and coincidentally the TSX for North America is no more than a re-badged Honda Accord in other countries.
that guy is obviously an Acura fanboy, the car is 20 inches longer and more than 1000 lbs heavier than the Integra with the SAME engine, you do the math.
2. Lexus
Like Honda, Toyota followed its lead in differentiating some of their more expensive cars for American market, and thus the Lexus brand was born. Unlike Honda, Lexus came much later than Acura and Toyota kept some of its high performance and luxury cars under the Toyota name brand even after Lexus was well established. Toyota had the ultra high performance and expensive Supra under its name as well was the highly expensive luxury cars such as the Avalon and Land Cruiser. Lexus however, Toyota wanted it to make completely different cars not just for the US but internationally instead of re-badging everything and leave the Toyota name on there outside of America like what Honda is doing. The Lexus IS, on the surface it looks closer to a German sport sedan than your good old boring Toyota but is that really the case? Many critics have said over the years that Lexus is just as boring to drive as a Toyota even though they may look sportier, and yes there are high performance cars like the Lexus LFA, which is a grossly overpriced Supra but that's different story. However the core cars are no where near say a BMW 328i which is a entry level car but still very fun to drive even to a car enthusiast. In another word, a fancy looking old people's car. Oh well at least they didn't just re-badge like Honda did, or did they?
3. Infiniti
The dark horse out of these three picks. Infiniti was on the verge of bankruptcy a few years back but now they are back and with a brand new attitude toward the entry luxury car segment. Instead of trying to be both luxury and sport and fail miserably at both like Honda and Toyota, Nissan decided to go for one thing at a time and do that one thing extremely well. Infiniti G37 comes standard with a 3.7L V6 that makes a whopping 328 HP which is 100 HP for than the BMW 328i and easily the front of the pack, and did I mention its the same price as the 328i? Infiniti knows that it can't not win the luxury crown from even Lexus or Acura so they decided to win as a sport sedan, and to be honest I have to agree with them on this approach. There just way too many luxury cars with their high techs or luxury options, but none of them will drive like a G37, at least not at this price range.
The Infiniti G37 is definitely my winner out of the three, not just because the engine but because what you get with your money. Out of all three, none of them look particularly good compare to German sedans but obviously better over the American competitions. Both Acura and Lexus can not compete with the German cars at the lowest entry point since both lack any real power to be exciting to drive the heavier cars, both need to be moved up to the much more expensive trim and bigger engine to compete so in a way they are not cheaper when compared apples to apples. The Infiniti however offers class leading power and enough luxury appeal to really compete with the best, if its not already the best.
-Land of the Rising Sun
1. Acura
Honda has been in the US market as long as we can remember, and they have always dominated in one particular segment, the cheap family sedan segment. But this once racing bike manufacturer is still known more overseas for its high performing, high revving VTEC engine. The engine is said to be the father of all modern day variable timing engines, and the architecture has remained same for few decades. Honda's brand image in the US was cheap, reliable but what people didn't know was they were selling a lot more expensive track cars with the VTEC engine. Therefore they had to do something about all their high performance cars segment since everyone that was buying a Civic in the US wasn't about to dish out double premium for a different Honda. In coming the Acura name tag that is specially created for the North American market. This was a absolute genius move at the time as Honda pretty much moved all of their high performance cars like the Integra and others that were slightly better built than the Civic and Accord. Over the years they have enjoyed the success Acura has brought them in North America, but you can hardly call Acura a substantially different brand than Honda. The Integra was built much like its brother the Civic, in another word a tin can. The only luxury option you could find on it was leather seats and that was on the higher trim. As time went on Honda realized that they need to improve differentiating Acura from its core Honda cars in order to face changes in the luxury car segment. Long story short, Acura took in the features that made German auto makers great in the modern era. In coming the entry level Acura TSX as Acura was phasing out all of their boy racer "tin can" cars such as the Integra and the RSX. The TSX is built like a hybrid of an American and German car. It is big and heavy, like a real luxury car but there lies the underlying problem. The VTEC engine traditionally is a small 4 cylinder engine, and it works well on Honda cars because they are built like a real track car, small, extremely light, so when you revving it up to 8000 RPM for 170 HP the car is very fun to drive. But not when you are powering a 3500 lb beast. As a entry level luxury car the TSX is much larger than the BMW 3 series and even the Mercedes C class, its not quite as big as the Cadillac CTS but its close. But the CTS is powered by a large 300 HP V6 not a small 200 HP I4. So when you drive the TSX it has lost all the fun factors that made the Integra great, its not nimble, its not fast, and it definitely feels like you have to work way too hard to get the car going, all killer no nos for a luxury car. Good thing Honda is not an American brand, they quickly changed that by putting a large V6 engine as an option on the TSX, but this had 2 implications. One is that with the V6 the TSX starts at 35000 dollars which is at least 1000 dollars more than the BMW 328i and Mercedes C300. Two it is now about the same price as the Acura TL which is much larger car filled with much more luxury options. Over all it feels that Acura has lost its soul in this car, even with the V6 it drives like a big family sedan rather than a nimble sport sedan that everyone strives to be at this entry segment, it drives too much like the Honda Accord if you will and coincidentally the TSX for North America is no more than a re-badged Honda Accord in other countries.
that guy is obviously an Acura fanboy, the car is 20 inches longer and more than 1000 lbs heavier than the Integra with the SAME engine, you do the math.
2. Lexus
Like Honda, Toyota followed its lead in differentiating some of their more expensive cars for American market, and thus the Lexus brand was born. Unlike Honda, Lexus came much later than Acura and Toyota kept some of its high performance and luxury cars under the Toyota name brand even after Lexus was well established. Toyota had the ultra high performance and expensive Supra under its name as well was the highly expensive luxury cars such as the Avalon and Land Cruiser. Lexus however, Toyota wanted it to make completely different cars not just for the US but internationally instead of re-badging everything and leave the Toyota name on there outside of America like what Honda is doing. The Lexus IS, on the surface it looks closer to a German sport sedan than your good old boring Toyota but is that really the case? Many critics have said over the years that Lexus is just as boring to drive as a Toyota even though they may look sportier, and yes there are high performance cars like the Lexus LFA, which is a grossly overpriced Supra but that's different story. However the core cars are no where near say a BMW 328i which is a entry level car but still very fun to drive even to a car enthusiast. In another word, a fancy looking old people's car. Oh well at least they didn't just re-badge like Honda did, or did they?
3. Infiniti
The dark horse out of these three picks. Infiniti was on the verge of bankruptcy a few years back but now they are back and with a brand new attitude toward the entry luxury car segment. Instead of trying to be both luxury and sport and fail miserably at both like Honda and Toyota, Nissan decided to go for one thing at a time and do that one thing extremely well. Infiniti G37 comes standard with a 3.7L V6 that makes a whopping 328 HP which is 100 HP for than the BMW 328i and easily the front of the pack, and did I mention its the same price as the 328i? Infiniti knows that it can't not win the luxury crown from even Lexus or Acura so they decided to win as a sport sedan, and to be honest I have to agree with them on this approach. There just way too many luxury cars with their high techs or luxury options, but none of them will drive like a G37, at least not at this price range.
The Infiniti G37 is definitely my winner out of the three, not just because the engine but because what you get with your money. Out of all three, none of them look particularly good compare to German sedans but obviously better over the American competitions. Both Acura and Lexus can not compete with the German cars at the lowest entry point since both lack any real power to be exciting to drive the heavier cars, both need to be moved up to the much more expensive trim and bigger engine to compete so in a way they are not cheaper when compared apples to apples. The Infiniti however offers class leading power and enough luxury appeal to really compete with the best, if its not already the best.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Battle of Entry level Luxury cars, part 1.
The entry level luxury car market has gotten bigger and bigger over the years in America, and it no longer is a "luxury" to those that makes millions but to anyone that has a decent job and makes good living. Some of the normal cars today fully loaded approaches or even exceeds the price tag of these entry luxury cars and sometimes they are even less drivable. Because of these reasons the market has become more and more popular as we Americans start to share the views of the Europeans, that a car is not just a means of transportation.
Out of all the luxury cars the entry level cars are the most popular not just because one can show off their status on the road for the cheapest price but because sometime even if you can afford one you don't want to be too flashy or broadcast the fact that you are driving a 200,000 dollar Mercedes. It's segment for the average Joe, the corporate executive, or a successful businessman. It is a segment where the world leading luxury car producer BMW, sells most of its cars. So without further delay lets examine a few of these so called entry level luxury cars.
-Part 1. Home Grown.
It is only appropriate to start in a country that only has the biggest auto industry in the world. No matter how you perceive American cars, American auto makers are no stranger to the luxury brands. GMC, Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick have all been with us for a long long time. But one thing that American brands don't share with foreign auto is how a car should be built, and I am not talking about quality either. There was a time that US luxury cars were viewed only as...well luxury cruisers. They are big, heavy, unresponsive boat like machines that often have the biggest V8 engine you can find but accelerates slower than a diesel truck today. So yes they are perfect highway cruisers for older people and back in the day only older folks were the ones that could afford these types of cars, that or rich and famous people who has a chauffeur. Either way those types of people want to have a boat like car because they are either old or sitting in the backseat disconnected from the driving experience. But like I said the times have changed, younger people that have good jobs or their parents fortune are starting to buy these kind of car, and they do not want a boat. What they want is a sporty car that is engaging to drive yet retains that luxury feel. European Brands like BMW and Mercedes started doing this a long time ago partly because they were once race car makers but everyone in Europe drives them everyday anyways, there was no luxury or normal car. I fault the downfall of American Autos on their inability to recognize that the market is change rather than their failing in making quality cars. In the last few years they have finally realized that they can no longer only target the older segment, and started to endorse the sporty, young, and hip images of these American luxury brands, but is it too late? And its not as easy as it sounds, Luxury cars were big and heavy for the reason of ride quality, like Cadillac and Mercedes, and sports cars are usually light and nimble with rough ride quality, like Porsche and Lotus, so if you combine the two something has to give. After all can Americans truly compete with Europeans on something they have been doing for decades? We shall see.
-Cadillac
There is no name synonymous with American luxury than Cadillac, But there is also no other that display the image of boat like than it either. Cadillac Escalade, the original reason others hate us for the display of wastefulness before Hummer came along. All the movies you see, all the Cadillac you see on the road, there is just no other cruisers like it. But now it is changing its brand images with the youger crowd, and in comes the entry level Cadillac CTS. At the starting price of over $36,000 it is by far the most expensive car in this segment. This is one myth I will destroy in the blog, people always do a double take when they see the current price of entry level BMW and Mercedes thus creating the lie that German cars are much more expensive than others. That might be true for their flag ship cars but next time check out the price on an American car too, you would be surprised. Anyways this is by far the smallest and sportiest Cadillac we have seen so far, it sports a reasonable sized V6 engine that produces 270-304 hp, which puts it at the front of the pack but I have learned long ago to not just rely on numbers on a piece of paper. The CTS is smaller than other Caddys but at the price range it is probably one of the largest entry level luxury car standing at 192 inches and over 3800 lbs. So its got all the right numbers on paper but just well does this car drive compare to others?
Ok so three things, exterior, interior, and the engine. These so called reviews might say how they love the exterior but any car enthusiasts can tell that its still got the same big, bulky in your face look of a traditional Caddy. There is no way you can say side by side that it looks better than a BMW 3 series or a Mercedes C class. On to the interior now the CTS interior looks much better and more modern than the older Caddys as it is an obvious attempt to get more younger crowd. I am not big on interior design or have a strong opinion on this subject so I will give CTS the thumbs up for attempted modernized interior. Lastly the engine, on paper it rivals the BMW 335i and as it stands today, the 335i cost 4000 dollars more to start. But does it really drive as well as the 335i? Cadillac never released any official times but it has been said that the CTS accelerates from 0-60 miles in around 6.6 seconds, and if that's the case than its no where near the 5.4 seconds on the 335i. That is actually closer to the cheaper 328i but the 328i has whopping 70 less hp and 70 less ft-lb of torque than the CTS, and I am not even going into the technical aspect of why even so the 328i is still better the CTS because you get power on the 328i at much lower RPM. Okay so the CTS is much bigger and heavier car than the 3 series therefor slower is to be expected, but looking at it this way even though no review would say how well it handles I am certain because of the size factor CTS also handles no where near as well as the 3 series.
Last Impression of the CTS is good, it is a nice attempt for Cadillac to finally join the rest of us in the 21st century but it still has a long way to go if it ever wants to truly compete with the best.
-Lincoln, Buick
I'm not even going to bother with the new Lincoln MKZ and whatever Buick as to offer knowing they are both built on the much cheaper Ford fusion platform and perhaps even with the same engine too. It seems to me they have either given up hope in selling any more cars or just contempt in selling to the older generation which is slowly dying off. Or maybe they are just too lazy for change, that always is the right answer when it comes to American Auto Industry.
Out of all the luxury cars the entry level cars are the most popular not just because one can show off their status on the road for the cheapest price but because sometime even if you can afford one you don't want to be too flashy or broadcast the fact that you are driving a 200,000 dollar Mercedes. It's segment for the average Joe, the corporate executive, or a successful businessman. It is a segment where the world leading luxury car producer BMW, sells most of its cars. So without further delay lets examine a few of these so called entry level luxury cars.
-Part 1. Home Grown.
It is only appropriate to start in a country that only has the biggest auto industry in the world. No matter how you perceive American cars, American auto makers are no stranger to the luxury brands. GMC, Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick have all been with us for a long long time. But one thing that American brands don't share with foreign auto is how a car should be built, and I am not talking about quality either. There was a time that US luxury cars were viewed only as...well luxury cruisers. They are big, heavy, unresponsive boat like machines that often have the biggest V8 engine you can find but accelerates slower than a diesel truck today. So yes they are perfect highway cruisers for older people and back in the day only older folks were the ones that could afford these types of cars, that or rich and famous people who has a chauffeur. Either way those types of people want to have a boat like car because they are either old or sitting in the backseat disconnected from the driving experience. But like I said the times have changed, younger people that have good jobs or their parents fortune are starting to buy these kind of car, and they do not want a boat. What they want is a sporty car that is engaging to drive yet retains that luxury feel. European Brands like BMW and Mercedes started doing this a long time ago partly because they were once race car makers but everyone in Europe drives them everyday anyways, there was no luxury or normal car. I fault the downfall of American Autos on their inability to recognize that the market is change rather than their failing in making quality cars. In the last few years they have finally realized that they can no longer only target the older segment, and started to endorse the sporty, young, and hip images of these American luxury brands, but is it too late? And its not as easy as it sounds, Luxury cars were big and heavy for the reason of ride quality, like Cadillac and Mercedes, and sports cars are usually light and nimble with rough ride quality, like Porsche and Lotus, so if you combine the two something has to give. After all can Americans truly compete with Europeans on something they have been doing for decades? We shall see.
-Cadillac
There is no name synonymous with American luxury than Cadillac, But there is also no other that display the image of boat like than it either. Cadillac Escalade, the original reason others hate us for the display of wastefulness before Hummer came along. All the movies you see, all the Cadillac you see on the road, there is just no other cruisers like it. But now it is changing its brand images with the youger crowd, and in comes the entry level Cadillac CTS. At the starting price of over $36,000 it is by far the most expensive car in this segment. This is one myth I will destroy in the blog, people always do a double take when they see the current price of entry level BMW and Mercedes thus creating the lie that German cars are much more expensive than others. That might be true for their flag ship cars but next time check out the price on an American car too, you would be surprised. Anyways this is by far the smallest and sportiest Cadillac we have seen so far, it sports a reasonable sized V6 engine that produces 270-304 hp, which puts it at the front of the pack but I have learned long ago to not just rely on numbers on a piece of paper. The CTS is smaller than other Caddys but at the price range it is probably one of the largest entry level luxury car standing at 192 inches and over 3800 lbs. So its got all the right numbers on paper but just well does this car drive compare to others?
Ok so three things, exterior, interior, and the engine. These so called reviews might say how they love the exterior but any car enthusiasts can tell that its still got the same big, bulky in your face look of a traditional Caddy. There is no way you can say side by side that it looks better than a BMW 3 series or a Mercedes C class. On to the interior now the CTS interior looks much better and more modern than the older Caddys as it is an obvious attempt to get more younger crowd. I am not big on interior design or have a strong opinion on this subject so I will give CTS the thumbs up for attempted modernized interior. Lastly the engine, on paper it rivals the BMW 335i and as it stands today, the 335i cost 4000 dollars more to start. But does it really drive as well as the 335i? Cadillac never released any official times but it has been said that the CTS accelerates from 0-60 miles in around 6.6 seconds, and if that's the case than its no where near the 5.4 seconds on the 335i. That is actually closer to the cheaper 328i but the 328i has whopping 70 less hp and 70 less ft-lb of torque than the CTS, and I am not even going into the technical aspect of why even so the 328i is still better the CTS because you get power on the 328i at much lower RPM. Okay so the CTS is much bigger and heavier car than the 3 series therefor slower is to be expected, but looking at it this way even though no review would say how well it handles I am certain because of the size factor CTS also handles no where near as well as the 3 series.
Last Impression of the CTS is good, it is a nice attempt for Cadillac to finally join the rest of us in the 21st century but it still has a long way to go if it ever wants to truly compete with the best.
-Lincoln, Buick
I'm not even going to bother with the new Lincoln MKZ and whatever Buick as to offer knowing they are both built on the much cheaper Ford fusion platform and perhaps even with the same engine too. It seems to me they have either given up hope in selling any more cars or just contempt in selling to the older generation which is slowly dying off. Or maybe they are just too lazy for change, that always is the right answer when it comes to American Auto Industry.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
E3 2010 round up
Being a gamer like myself there is probably no bigger event than the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, dubbed E3. Every June the biggest players in the industry gather in the city of Angels and show off the latest gaming hardware and software. A lot of secretes that have been kept for years are usually unveiled here along with new and exciting footages of the games that we already know about. E3 is not just a show it is a extravaganza, for a week in June Nerds and the media gather together for press conferences like its a matter of national importance. The show is usually very flashy as well with things like thirty large displays used at the Sony Press Conference last year and all the craziness that surrounds the booths for each game, oh and the booth babes.
This year is no different, every gamer like myself out there gets excited for E3 for all the cool gaming related news. As my anticipation gets higher and higher with the days getting closer I sudden realized something that could completely ruin my hype level for this year's E3. The theme around this E3 is the word "casual". Corporations are always going with what makes the most money and not what the consumers want, in this case what the gamers want. Ever since Nintendo opened the flood gate with Wii, Microsoft and Sony has been trying to play catch up in this who will get the most casual crowd game. Its a game that hurts us core gamers but it does bring them a lot of money. After all core gamers are still a minority and the casual crowd out weights us by a ton. Its not just gaming industry either, you see it everywhere. Movies started to do this a long time ago when more and more movies dropped the R rating and when PG 13 to gain more casual watching crowd.
So that being said lets see how the big three did in this years E3.
-Microsoft
MS started the show with a trailer of the next Call of Duty, yeah I know you heard it right, another Call of Duty. But at least my fear has been put away by this seeing as Call of Duty is not a gimmick causal game, so maybe the rest of the show won't be too bad. MS followed by showing more core games such as Halo Reach, Gears of War 3, Fable 3, etc. All looked good but nothing surprising. About half way through they introduced their long waited motion senor code named Project Natal, which at this point has been renamed to Kinect. Don't know why because Project Natal sounds so much better. This also marks the turning point of the show, with the bullshit motion sensing sports games that are essentially Wii sports repackaged, and some 5 year old girl petting a virtual tiger to a crazy white guy dancing to nothing at all...the worst part of the show is not even how big of a slap in the face Kinect is to all the gamers out there, its the integration of ESPN on Xbox. For what seems to be an eternity the Sports Center anchors talked about how you can watch ESPN on xbox...holy fuck this is a goddamn game conference so why the fuck half of the show is not about anything game related. My rage is at close to 9000 at this point, I definitely thought MS approached the fail level of Nintendo from 2009.
-Sony
Like Microsoft Sony introduced their own motion sensor device called "Move". Unlike the MS Kinect which is like a camera, the Move is like a controller oddly similar to the Wiimote. Except for the big gay ass purple head...yes big round purple head. And in typical Sony fashion Sony executives comes out with bunch of sales number to impress the media, and long speeches on how great Sony is. So yeah the usual cocky Sony attitude, but in case they forgot this cocky attitude is what landed them in this mess with the PS3. PS3 is in the last place because Sony though they could do no wrong even if it means to charge 600 dollars for a video game console that had ridge racer as the biggest launch title. And for the love of God no one cares about how much PS2 sold anymore this is 2010 not fucking 2000 when PS2 was still relevant, and the success of PS2 doesn't automatically make you the winner of this generation, so stop talking about the PS2 in every fucking Sony conference. Now also like the MS show Sony showed some core games such as Killzone 3, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo 5(which is never coming out) and...well not much more after that. Everyone said that biggest surprise was when the fat guy (Gabe Newell) from Valve showed up and said Portal 2 is going to be on PS3, well not me. Valve is a corporation so sooner or later they will make a game for the PS3 if they love money, to me all Valve game should be played on PC anyways, there is not much to look forward to consider how GREAT orange box did on the PS3.
I just want to say something about all these motion sensor bullshit. Nintendo frankly figured out something by watching Apple do business. When you can not compete in your own market anymore, you got to differentiate. Just look at how much Gamecube failed again Xbox and Ps2 like how much Apple has been sucking in the personal computer market, exactly the same thing. Now what did Apple do? Instead of spending billions trying to improve the Mac to compete with PC they decided to do something else like Ipod and Iphone. Using what is essentially an already existing tech, the touch screen and make it mainstream. One attribute of the casual mainstream consumers is that they lack of real knowledge on products and is easily swayed by the newest, most flashing tech out there, even though things like touch screen tech has been out for ages. Apple capitalized on this notion and made millions on touch screen Iphone and Ipods. Nintendo is doing the exact same thing, they realized that they can no longer compete in a industry where they helped buiding so they differentiated with the motion controller, even though the motion control tech has been out for ages. But main steam consumers never knew this and because we are easily swayed by the newest, most flashy tech Nintendo was able to capitalize with the simplest and most gimmicky console that I have seen in years. Its not Nintendo's fault but the consumers'. Lack of real knowledge combined with ADD have doomed us all.
-Nintendo
Speaking of Nintendo they were once again the winners of this console war with their shows at 2010 E3, not because they topped both Sony and MS in the gimmicky shovelware but because they actually had the best game related show. Nintendo pulled a 180 on both MS and Sony and showed nothing but core games such as a new Donkey Kong game for the Wii, the new Metroid Wii game, new Zelda Wii game, new Kirby game, along with new IPs...you get the idea. I know Nintendo had a awful showing last year with all the motion sensor shovelware, and they were shamed by all the media. This year they made a concerned effort to show all the core games in a game show and did a good job, I just wonder if they are laughing now at MS and Sony for following what they did last year by pumping out nothing but bullshit. Nothing Nintendo showed was particularly interesting to me but I have to applaud them for learning from their mistake and correcting it in this years E3. Therefore I will have to give the best E3 showing award to Nintendo.
If this year's E3 is suppose to give me a glimpse of the industry's future then I can not say I am pleased with the direction that is going. I am just glad that PC gaming is still somewhat staying the course and not following in this causal mayhem. But with all the big time PC developers jumping ship onto the console wagon its hard to say how long will true hardcore PC gaming last, oh well at least we still got Blizzard and Valve...wait scratch that, seeing the fat guy on Sony's stage almost made me vomit as much as seeing just how fat he really is.
This year is no different, every gamer like myself out there gets excited for E3 for all the cool gaming related news. As my anticipation gets higher and higher with the days getting closer I sudden realized something that could completely ruin my hype level for this year's E3. The theme around this E3 is the word "casual". Corporations are always going with what makes the most money and not what the consumers want, in this case what the gamers want. Ever since Nintendo opened the flood gate with Wii, Microsoft and Sony has been trying to play catch up in this who will get the most casual crowd game. Its a game that hurts us core gamers but it does bring them a lot of money. After all core gamers are still a minority and the casual crowd out weights us by a ton. Its not just gaming industry either, you see it everywhere. Movies started to do this a long time ago when more and more movies dropped the R rating and when PG 13 to gain more casual watching crowd.
So that being said lets see how the big three did in this years E3.
-Microsoft
MS started the show with a trailer of the next Call of Duty, yeah I know you heard it right, another Call of Duty. But at least my fear has been put away by this seeing as Call of Duty is not a gimmick causal game, so maybe the rest of the show won't be too bad. MS followed by showing more core games such as Halo Reach, Gears of War 3, Fable 3, etc. All looked good but nothing surprising. About half way through they introduced their long waited motion senor code named Project Natal, which at this point has been renamed to Kinect. Don't know why because Project Natal sounds so much better. This also marks the turning point of the show, with the bullshit motion sensing sports games that are essentially Wii sports repackaged, and some 5 year old girl petting a virtual tiger to a crazy white guy dancing to nothing at all...the worst part of the show is not even how big of a slap in the face Kinect is to all the gamers out there, its the integration of ESPN on Xbox. For what seems to be an eternity the Sports Center anchors talked about how you can watch ESPN on xbox...holy fuck this is a goddamn game conference so why the fuck half of the show is not about anything game related. My rage is at close to 9000 at this point, I definitely thought MS approached the fail level of Nintendo from 2009.
-Sony
Like Microsoft Sony introduced their own motion sensor device called "Move". Unlike the MS Kinect which is like a camera, the Move is like a controller oddly similar to the Wiimote. Except for the big gay ass purple head...yes big round purple head. And in typical Sony fashion Sony executives comes out with bunch of sales number to impress the media, and long speeches on how great Sony is. So yeah the usual cocky Sony attitude, but in case they forgot this cocky attitude is what landed them in this mess with the PS3. PS3 is in the last place because Sony though they could do no wrong even if it means to charge 600 dollars for a video game console that had ridge racer as the biggest launch title. And for the love of God no one cares about how much PS2 sold anymore this is 2010 not fucking 2000 when PS2 was still relevant, and the success of PS2 doesn't automatically make you the winner of this generation, so stop talking about the PS2 in every fucking Sony conference. Now also like the MS show Sony showed some core games such as Killzone 3, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo 5(which is never coming out) and...well not much more after that. Everyone said that biggest surprise was when the fat guy (Gabe Newell) from Valve showed up and said Portal 2 is going to be on PS3, well not me. Valve is a corporation so sooner or later they will make a game for the PS3 if they love money, to me all Valve game should be played on PC anyways, there is not much to look forward to consider how GREAT orange box did on the PS3.
I just want to say something about all these motion sensor bullshit. Nintendo frankly figured out something by watching Apple do business. When you can not compete in your own market anymore, you got to differentiate. Just look at how much Gamecube failed again Xbox and Ps2 like how much Apple has been sucking in the personal computer market, exactly the same thing. Now what did Apple do? Instead of spending billions trying to improve the Mac to compete with PC they decided to do something else like Ipod and Iphone. Using what is essentially an already existing tech, the touch screen and make it mainstream. One attribute of the casual mainstream consumers is that they lack of real knowledge on products and is easily swayed by the newest, most flashing tech out there, even though things like touch screen tech has been out for ages. Apple capitalized on this notion and made millions on touch screen Iphone and Ipods. Nintendo is doing the exact same thing, they realized that they can no longer compete in a industry where they helped buiding so they differentiated with the motion controller, even though the motion control tech has been out for ages. But main steam consumers never knew this and because we are easily swayed by the newest, most flashy tech Nintendo was able to capitalize with the simplest and most gimmicky console that I have seen in years. Its not Nintendo's fault but the consumers'. Lack of real knowledge combined with ADD have doomed us all.
-Nintendo
Speaking of Nintendo they were once again the winners of this console war with their shows at 2010 E3, not because they topped both Sony and MS in the gimmicky shovelware but because they actually had the best game related show. Nintendo pulled a 180 on both MS and Sony and showed nothing but core games such as a new Donkey Kong game for the Wii, the new Metroid Wii game, new Zelda Wii game, new Kirby game, along with new IPs...you get the idea. I know Nintendo had a awful showing last year with all the motion sensor shovelware, and they were shamed by all the media. This year they made a concerned effort to show all the core games in a game show and did a good job, I just wonder if they are laughing now at MS and Sony for following what they did last year by pumping out nothing but bullshit. Nothing Nintendo showed was particularly interesting to me but I have to applaud them for learning from their mistake and correcting it in this years E3. Therefore I will have to give the best E3 showing award to Nintendo.
If this year's E3 is suppose to give me a glimpse of the industry's future then I can not say I am pleased with the direction that is going. I am just glad that PC gaming is still somewhat staying the course and not following in this causal mayhem. But with all the big time PC developers jumping ship onto the console wagon its hard to say how long will true hardcore PC gaming last, oh well at least we still got Blizzard and Valve...wait scratch that, seeing the fat guy on Sony's stage almost made me vomit as much as seeing just how fat he really is.
Monday, June 7, 2010
My top 5 most hyped upcoming games, as of 6/7/2010
2010 sees some of the biggest titles being released in the video game industry, games such as Mass Effect 2, Bayonetta, God of War 3, Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain, Red Dead Redemption, etc all were released in the first half of year. I however have only gotten Mass Effect 2 out of the bunch, it was in fact the first new game I have gotten in awhile. If it was couple years ago I probably would have gotten at least 75% out of all the titles I have mentioned but time have changed, games are just not what they used to be. There are very few quality games out there that still gives me an epic feeling when I played through it and I'm not just talking about it graphically either.
That being said there are a few games that are coming out later half of this year and first half of next year(hopefully) that have got me hyped. This by no means that I will get all these games, like I said number of quality games are diminishing and these are just ones that got me interested or intrigued to learn more about them.
1. Diablo 3 (soon)
Long before World of Warcraft had earned the reputation as a soul sucking and money printing mega phenomenon, another Blizzard game quietly has set this path for the company's future. Diablo 2 was one of the most addicting and probably most played online game outside of Counter Strike at one point, it was so simple yet so difficult to unlock all the secrets, so mindless yet so addicting, so apparent yet so fun. I have spent countless hours play this game online doing essentially the same thing over and over again, the infamous Baal runs. I don't know why but there is just a certain charm about the game that makes me want to play online with a friend even though the game is some what short and simple and supports a somewhat backward online system compare to today's online games. It has been 10 years in the making and finally we can say yes Diablo 3 is coming...soon. If any game can rekindle my interest in a 4 player online co-op session then this is the perfect game. It has been so long since I have had a good game that I can actually play with a few friends and have fun, FPS not included.
Hype Meter: 9/10
2. Star Wars: The Old Republic (April, 2011)
Personally I hate Bioware for not doing a proper sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic. It was one of the most underrated single player RPG when it first came out, it single handedly made Star Wars games relevant again and it was one of the my favorite RPGs of all time. I hate Bioware even more after they teased me for coming back with by doing a third game in the series...only telling us that this is going to be an MMORPG so its not a direct sequel. In a way it seems like Bioware is trying to cashing in on the MMORPG frenzy that is caused by WoW but now thinking about it Star Wars universe is big enough to do a game like this but I am anxious to see more. So far very little information or game play video has been shown considering how close we are to the release date, but I have no doubt this game will be at least decent with the Bioware pedigree on the line. However it scares me that all the people that attempted to copy WoW's success by going head to head with WoW has pretty much been annihilated, but at the same time those people are not Bioware. WoW needs to die already I need to see something refreshing and this game might just be it.
Hype Meter: 6/10
3. World of Warcraft Cataclysm (Fall 2010)
Speaking of WoW, the latest expansion Cataclysm is sure to bring back a lot of former players that have quit the game. I will not be one of them. It has been a long time since I have played WoW, every time I quit the game I sometimes will encounter whats called withdrawn symptoms that is common among crack addicts. That is the main reason I have quit and started playing again for 3 times, because every time I see a WoW video, hear a WoW story and even hear that epic music again I feel the itch and the fire being rekindled. Not this time, I have quit WoW for more than a year now and simply do not feel any urge to play it again. I do not like the direction the game is going since the last expansion as the game is going toward more and more casual oriented in order to maintain its player base. Blizzard must feel the effects of player leaving due to the staleness of the game, and like I said you can feel the end coming. It was a good 6 year run for WoW but now it just needs to die but however I am interested in seeing what Blizzard has in store for the latest expansion pack, whether they will continue in the route of making the game more accessible to attract new players or they will actually do something new.
Hype Meter: 3/10
4. The Witcher 2 (Spring 2011)
The first Witcher game was a real hidden gem. I have heard of many good things about the game but never had the chance to play it until recently. It turned out to be the right decision as the original version is hampered with bugs and various graphically glitches. The enhanced edition director's cut that I have played was a much smoother experience, but it still had rough edges in both technical and game play aspect. That being said it is definitely one of my favorite games in recent memories. Rookie Polish developer CD Projekt followed a true and proven Bioware formula in the game in terms of engine and story telling, and it paid off see as Bioware makes some of the best story based RPGs out there. In term of game play they switched it up using somewhat time based hack and slash system that is not so common in modern day RPGs. All in all it gave players a memorable experience through out. The sequel is coming out next year with all new graphic engine that looks absolutely stunning, and the developer promises improved game play as well.
Hype Meter 8/10
5. Mass Effect 3 (TBA 2011)
To be honest Mass Effect 2 has killed a lot of steam I had for this series but don't get me wrong it is still one of my favorite new series this generation. Mass Effect was a great new and bold game by Bioware, it had so much ambition and promises that it was certain it would disappoint. But in the end Bioware pulled together and made it an epic although somewhat rough RPG experience. And in turn Mass Effect 2 became one of the most hyped games in recent memories that does not have Halo in its titles. I know personally Mass Effect 2 was a disappointment on many levels, mainly because of all the hypes surrounding the game before it was even out you know there was no way the game would live up to it. On the other hand the game never lived up to the promises Bioware made, things like improvement over the first game and some the good things that they did with the first game were scrapped. Its a good thing that Bioware takes all the community suggestions to heart, because after all the second game is still great but no where near the bar Bioware had set for itself. But this does not mean I am not pumped for the conclusion of this series, this would be the first time in a long time since Bioware started and finished a series properly.
Hype Meter: 9/10
Honorable Mentions:
Deus Ex 3
Guild Wars 2
Mafia 2
Gran Turismo 5
Unannounced Blizzard MMO
That being said there are a few games that are coming out later half of this year and first half of next year(hopefully) that have got me hyped. This by no means that I will get all these games, like I said number of quality games are diminishing and these are just ones that got me interested or intrigued to learn more about them.
1. Diablo 3 (soon)
Long before World of Warcraft had earned the reputation as a soul sucking and money printing mega phenomenon, another Blizzard game quietly has set this path for the company's future. Diablo 2 was one of the most addicting and probably most played online game outside of Counter Strike at one point, it was so simple yet so difficult to unlock all the secrets, so mindless yet so addicting, so apparent yet so fun. I have spent countless hours play this game online doing essentially the same thing over and over again, the infamous Baal runs. I don't know why but there is just a certain charm about the game that makes me want to play online with a friend even though the game is some what short and simple and supports a somewhat backward online system compare to today's online games. It has been 10 years in the making and finally we can say yes Diablo 3 is coming...soon. If any game can rekindle my interest in a 4 player online co-op session then this is the perfect game. It has been so long since I have had a good game that I can actually play with a few friends and have fun, FPS not included.
Hype Meter: 9/10
2. Star Wars: The Old Republic (April, 2011)
Personally I hate Bioware for not doing a proper sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic. It was one of the most underrated single player RPG when it first came out, it single handedly made Star Wars games relevant again and it was one of the my favorite RPGs of all time. I hate Bioware even more after they teased me for coming back with by doing a third game in the series...only telling us that this is going to be an MMORPG so its not a direct sequel. In a way it seems like Bioware is trying to cashing in on the MMORPG frenzy that is caused by WoW but now thinking about it Star Wars universe is big enough to do a game like this but I am anxious to see more. So far very little information or game play video has been shown considering how close we are to the release date, but I have no doubt this game will be at least decent with the Bioware pedigree on the line. However it scares me that all the people that attempted to copy WoW's success by going head to head with WoW has pretty much been annihilated, but at the same time those people are not Bioware. WoW needs to die already I need to see something refreshing and this game might just be it.
Hype Meter: 6/10
3. World of Warcraft Cataclysm (Fall 2010)
Speaking of WoW, the latest expansion Cataclysm is sure to bring back a lot of former players that have quit the game. I will not be one of them. It has been a long time since I have played WoW, every time I quit the game I sometimes will encounter whats called withdrawn symptoms that is common among crack addicts. That is the main reason I have quit and started playing again for 3 times, because every time I see a WoW video, hear a WoW story and even hear that epic music again I feel the itch and the fire being rekindled. Not this time, I have quit WoW for more than a year now and simply do not feel any urge to play it again. I do not like the direction the game is going since the last expansion as the game is going toward more and more casual oriented in order to maintain its player base. Blizzard must feel the effects of player leaving due to the staleness of the game, and like I said you can feel the end coming. It was a good 6 year run for WoW but now it just needs to die but however I am interested in seeing what Blizzard has in store for the latest expansion pack, whether they will continue in the route of making the game more accessible to attract new players or they will actually do something new.
Hype Meter: 3/10
4. The Witcher 2 (Spring 2011)
The first Witcher game was a real hidden gem. I have heard of many good things about the game but never had the chance to play it until recently. It turned out to be the right decision as the original version is hampered with bugs and various graphically glitches. The enhanced edition director's cut that I have played was a much smoother experience, but it still had rough edges in both technical and game play aspect. That being said it is definitely one of my favorite games in recent memories. Rookie Polish developer CD Projekt followed a true and proven Bioware formula in the game in terms of engine and story telling, and it paid off see as Bioware makes some of the best story based RPGs out there. In term of game play they switched it up using somewhat time based hack and slash system that is not so common in modern day RPGs. All in all it gave players a memorable experience through out. The sequel is coming out next year with all new graphic engine that looks absolutely stunning, and the developer promises improved game play as well.
Hype Meter 8/10
5. Mass Effect 3 (TBA 2011)
To be honest Mass Effect 2 has killed a lot of steam I had for this series but don't get me wrong it is still one of my favorite new series this generation. Mass Effect was a great new and bold game by Bioware, it had so much ambition and promises that it was certain it would disappoint. But in the end Bioware pulled together and made it an epic although somewhat rough RPG experience. And in turn Mass Effect 2 became one of the most hyped games in recent memories that does not have Halo in its titles. I know personally Mass Effect 2 was a disappointment on many levels, mainly because of all the hypes surrounding the game before it was even out you know there was no way the game would live up to it. On the other hand the game never lived up to the promises Bioware made, things like improvement over the first game and some the good things that they did with the first game were scrapped. Its a good thing that Bioware takes all the community suggestions to heart, because after all the second game is still great but no where near the bar Bioware had set for itself. But this does not mean I am not pumped for the conclusion of this series, this would be the first time in a long time since Bioware started and finished a series properly.
Hype Meter: 9/10
Honorable Mentions:
Deus Ex 3
Guild Wars 2
Mafia 2
Gran Turismo 5
Unannounced Blizzard MMO
Monday, May 31, 2010
Dickweeds on the road
I have always hated dumb asses on the road, everybody does. This is why I don't live in the cities in fear of road rage every 5 seconds or so. I have compiled a list of people I hate on the road and not just bad or careless drivers.
1. People that are driving the Porsche, the Corvette, or whatever other highly dangerous cars on road. now wait I know what you are thinking, I hate people that drives like maniacs in these cars and show off the size of their egos right? wrong I hate the opposite, well sorta of. Over the weekend I happen to get behind a Porsche 911 turbo going 40 mph...in a 60 mph zone. This happens to me more often than you think, and usually those are old people that are so old they shouldn't even be driving. So what in the Sam Hell are they doing in a Porsche? To me cops should stop these people as much as the ones that are going 90 mph in a Porsche, they are equally dangerous if not more. I absolutely loathe them.
2. Speaking of going fast. I hate people that goes 90 mph in their beat up Cobalt, Civic, or some other shitty ass car that is so old they should even be drivable. Now I understand their are still handful of people that think Fast and Furious is cool and the only reason they have those shitty cars is because the car was in the movie. Now the other part of this hatred comes from the ridiculous amount of body kits these people put on these old cars. It usually starts with the huge wing in the back and cannon size muffler that amplifies noise coming out the the car by 100 fold. They think they are so cool in their 300 dollar 1995 Civic with 1500 dollar worth of body kits. These people incite rage in me regularly when I see one going 90 mph in a 40 mph zone.
3. Rich toolbags. Over the weekend I saw another exotic car on the road, a brand new Lamborghini Gallardo driven by a young teen. Now you might think this angers me as the guy barely knows how to drive and probably don't even know anything about the car to truly appreciate it. No not really. He might not know anything about the car and have rich parents who will allow him to not work a single day for rest of his adult life but he could also be a young successful entrepreneur, which would only sadden me. But like I said it did not anger me. Today I saw another car on the road, a silver 2009 BMW 750i. Flagship car from BMW that displays both the very best in luxury automobile and extreme superiority in German engineering, until I saw the driver. A typical young punk wearing a wife beater who is all tattooed up and that flat rim Yankees cap which is barely floating on top of his head. In another word, a wanna be thug. I can feel my rage building up for this toolbag and then all of a sudden it just hit the roof. He had removed the stock mufflers and installed two cheap cannon mufflers which made this 100,000 dollar BMW sound like a cheap civic. Did I mention he was white all buffed up like a real winner? Yeah that what we get for living in a redneck town.
Game Review: Alpha Protocol
Whenever I see the name Obsidian Entertainment I cringe a little bit but at the same time I am somewhat interested in the game that they are working on. This is because that Obsidian is made of mostly people from the legendary and now defunct Black Isle Studio. Anyone that loves WRPG knows that Black Isle made some of the most influential RPGs on PC such as Planescape Torment and the Fallout series. But anyone who follows Obsidian because of that track record also knows that they have been nothing but disappointment under the Obsidian name, now don't get me wrong they still made a few good games like Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 but they are all generally considered by the public to be the lesser compare to the original done by Bioware.
So if you have done your homework then you will know ever since Black Isle reformed as Obsidian they can't seem to escape the shadow of Bioware. Every miscue and disappointment Obsidian has had some type of excuse for it, whether its because they were rushed by the publisher in the case of Star Wars or wanting to go a different direction only to incite anger from fans with Neverwinter Nights, it is finally time because now they should not have to use these excuses. Sega gave them plenty of time to finish Alpha Protocol and this game has nothing to do with Bioware. Therefore Alpha Protocol should be an intriguing game to say the least. But enough background stories already.
-StoryThis should be the strong point of an Obsidian game since they follow so closely to Bioware. But like I said they are trying to get away from Bioware and make a name for themselves, well maybe they should have followed tradition at least on the story part. You play the role of an American spy named Michael Thorton who works for a secret agency called Alpha Protocol, you were sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist missle attack on a passenger plane. As would any story and bigger picture unfolds there and eventually leads you Rome, Taipei and Moscow. The story is very straight forward and...bland, almost like they have taken a page out of a James Bond script. It's your typical overused hollywood spy theme and makes you don't want to care for it, even in the end with a supposed big twist unfolding in front of my eyes I felt nothing. Whats worse is that all the characters feel the same way, they are boring and bland, you don't care for any of them.
-Game Play
Game play is somewhat unique as it is played out in a third person shooter perspective. There are not many of those in the WRPG scene as the genre is usually dominated by high fantasy themed with swords and magic, I would almost go out of my way and say Obsidian is definitely taking a risk and trying something new to get away if it weren't for a little award winning series from Bioware called Mass Effect. But they are trying, and trying is the key word here. The game mechanics are a mess to put it nicely, you have got one of the worst AI in any modern games that I can remember. Enemies are not just dumb but they will do dumb things, they would be shooting at you and suddenly turn around and shoot at the complete opposite direction, or worse they would shoot and all of a sudden decide to climb a latter. Gun mechanics are awful as well, all the guns don't shoot properly and don't do the proper damage when you line up a perfect headshot, its like no one has ever designed a shooter before and this is the first one. And don't even get me started with the usual crap that comes with being an Obsidian game, the frame rate hiccups, the bad animation, and the unending amount of bugs. I mean I understand this is an Obsidian game and you get those bad with it but holy shit the game has only been delayed for a year for them to polish it? This incomplete mess shouldn't even be on the store shelve to begin with that's how bad it is. Now I don't want to be to harsh since the RPG element in the game is somewhat better than the rest of the game. At least you get way more skills in this game to feel like an actual RPG (I'm looking at you Mass Effect 2). Also I like the conversation system that kind of mirrors the Mass Effect wheel but at the same time it is completely different. Instead of choosing that actual context like Mass Effect you pick different tone of voice such as professional, casual or aggressive. Each tone has different effect on different characters at the different juncture of the game. They influence how much a character like you or dislike you but have no moral consequences like Mass Effect. Whatever you choose to say will still have a sizable impact in the game but there is no good or evil.
-GraphicsOne word. Bad. We live in an age of HD graphics even on the consoles, and I am playing on my PC with 1080p with everything turned at max and it just looks like shit. character models looks bad, the design is bad, textures are bad and colors are bad, need I say more? I know this game uses Unreal Engine but does it use Unreal Engine 1? Because it looks nothing like Mass Effect 2 which uses Unreal Engine 3.
-Conclusion
In the end one would expect all the bad things I have listed to go along with an Obsidian game because they have built a reputation for those things in their previous games. But despite all the bad what draws people to their games is the story and the the characters, and none of those are even remotely interesting in this half assed attempt in a game. It's a shame that so much potential in a game and never can be realized, its got a famed RPG studio behind it, its got an interesting concept that has been proven to be successful when done right. I just don't know what happened to this game it's like Obsidian finally have what they wanted which is make their own game and not pick up left overs from Bioware and they just can't deliver, maybe its a case of you don't know you had it good until you don't have it anymore, maybe they can still go back to working with Bioware...
All in all Alpha Protocol is another game to add on the long list of disappointments for developer Obsidian, maybe its the biggest of them all. Unless you are a hardcore RPG lover like me or a hardcore Black Isle lover I would recommend stay away from this broken mess, instead go re-install Fallout 2 and reminiscent on what it would be if Black Isle was still around.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Ultimate Driving Machine. (or is it?)
BMW has long had the reputation as the Ultimate Driving Machine, no matter its on the highway of Germany, a pothole filled American city road or a closed high speed track in Japan it has retained this title. It is curious to me however that BMW had given itself such a title almost 70 years ago when it had won all those races, but does it still hold true today when the new bimmers are nothing like back then and there are a lot more fast and exciting cars on the road?
Bavarian Motor Works or commonly called bimmer, break my window and some other inappropriate names, it doesn't matter what its called as soon as you see the trade mark blue and white badge that represents their aircraft making days you know it suppose to be the most exciting everyday car to drive on the road.
It is surprising to me that another German auto maker Mercedes-Benz with all of its racing heritage is somehow viewed as tame, boring and too slow compare to BMW, well I am here to test that myth.
For this particular review I tested the famed BMW 3 series and will pit it against its closest competition on the road, the all new Infiniti G37, as well as testing it against a normal everyday car you would see on the road, the Honda Civic. I looked at all the 3 series model and deemed that the 335i was the best one to test. The reason behind that is on paper the 328 looked a little bit "weak" with its 230 hp 3.0 liter engine, I am sure in reality the car is very fun to drive since thats plenty of power for a compact size car but this is BMW that we are talking about, there are Hondas that have more power than that. Then on the other end of the extreme we have the M3 with its 414 hp V8. That is obviously an enthusiast car that is not meant for daily driving so its out of our range as well, therefore it leave me the 335 with its twin turbo 3.0 liter flat 6 cylinder that produces a cool 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque that peaks at 1400 rpm. Also it comes the closest to the G37 in terms of power.
It was unfortunate that the particular dealership we went to did not have any regular 335i but only the all wheel drive models, keeping that in mind I will go a little easier on the handling and acceleration.
-First Impression (Exterior)
There is no doubt that this is a beautiful car, I actually like the conservative look of the 3 series. Sure its got the aggressive front end but probably less so than Audi or even Mercedes, and the back end well you can almost mistaken it as a much cheaper car. Overall its unmistakably BMW although I personally prefer the boxy look it had back in the early 90s. see below picture of a 1995 bmw 5 series.
One other note, the all wheel drive model sits about half inch higher than the rear wheel 335i. The Infinti G37 is no exotic looker either, it retains most of the exterior features from the platform that it was build on which is the Nissan Altima. This is a big turn off so I am giving a slight edge to the BMW here.
(Interior)
Way too many buttons. Even with most of the functions tied to the infamous i-drive(more on that later) there are still way too many buttons on the center console. And whats with the fake plastic wood? You can get that in a Toyota Corolla but this is a 45,000 dollar bimmer, it was definitely a turn off. The seats were very comfortable like most BMW but I also have to say why does the leather feel so hard like it is a fake plastic leather? Same thing goes for the steering wheel. The tilt and telescope steering wheel combined with 8 way adjustable seats give you great driving position but I did not like having 2 sticks coming out of the left side of the steering wheel as one is for turn signal and one is for cruise control, I didn't get confused but I can see how some people will. The front was pretty spacious but not too spacious, it almost feels a tad smaller than a new generation Honda Civic. The back seats are terrible there is almost no room there even though the 3 series is about 3 inches longer than the new Civic.
Now back on the i-drive, I have heard of horror stories about it but never quite believed into people's hype. All I can say is my co-pilot JT snowball should have been taking a lot of pictures but he didn't and somehow I don't blame him, it took him 20 minutes just to figure out how to turn on the radio through i-drive, lets just put it at that. Later we found out that the radio can be controlled completely from the voice command center from the steering wheel and that still does not make the I-drive any better.
-The Driving Experience
Enough about the look and the feel of the car, this is where the 335 should shine. You plug in the key and hit the start engine button and it was so quiet you can hear a pin drop...I am not saying it should sound like a big V8 mustang but it was strangely quiet. As soon as I step on the gas paddle I get no response from the engine and I was a little puzzled at first so a little more gas the engine finally comes alive but it was still relatively quiet. Again I'm not comparing to a muscle car I am basing this on driving a Civic everyday. The throttle response is definitely disappointing, I understand that this is an all wheel drive car unlike the rear wheel one where you can do a proper burn out but like I said I hit the gas paddle and it felt like it had to go three blocks to find where the engine is. The Infiniti has a lot more peppy engine in this bay with a 3.6 liter V6, but you have to push the engine a lot harder to get to those numbers as the torque is maxed at 4500 rpm. Because of it the engine sounds a lot more thrashy on the Infiniti as well but no car drives as smooth as the 335i. The I6 is so smooth that you do not feel any type of turbo lag at all, you don't even feel any kind of indication that its shifting gears, its so buttery smooth that JT literally was yelling at me to stomp on the gas as hard as I can which I did but we still felt nothing...until I looked down on the speedometer. We went from 0-50 in matter of 4 sec and we didn't feel a thing, part of it is contributed to the all wheel drive system for being in too much control and another part comes back to just how smooth the engine is. I just cant get over how smooth it is since this car makes a type of power a V8 mustang would, so it shouldn't be so quiet and tame. On the road the Bimmer never fails either, we heard almost no road noises and felt no effects from the potholes at all...have I mentioned how smooth this beast of a car is? It really really feels like a civic rather than a sports car, until you look at how fast you are going that is. It's got that deceptive speed. I can understand now why BMW stayed with the I6 engine while almost everyone else has moved on the the cheaper V6. Its just so smooth compare to V6 I never thought I would say a V6 engine on a Honda can be called rough but you haven't felt anything until you drive a BMW with its I6 engine.
Ok I am officially done with the word smooth for the rest of the review. Now the G37 is not too shabby either with similar numbers from 0-60 compare to the 335i but it definitely has a very different driving dynamics as the engine is naturally aspirated so you need to operated it at a lot higher rpm to get the max power compare to the twin turbo charged 335i.
BMW is not only known for its famous engines and drive qualities but also its handling that no American sports cars can compete with. My first reaction is the steering wheel felt extremely heavy to me, so heavy that I have no doubt that I can not drive this car with one hand. Again I'm sure part of that is contributed to this car being all wheel drive but it is significantly heavier than the Infiniti. But a light touch on the steering wheel will move the car, now my civic is very responsive like most Japanese cars but the 335i felt like an extension of your arms.
-Lasting Impression (Value)
Over the years BMW has became more and more expensive in order to match up with the same luxury segment and imagine that Mercedes is projecting. The 335i we drove is very well equipped but the price tag is pushing to around 46-47k. I don't know about you but thats a lot of money for a car that is no bigger than a civic, that doesn't look as exotic as a Porsche and a engine that is very good but certainly not as powerful as a Shelby Mustang which cost around the same amount. On the other hand a fully equipped Infiniti G37 cost about 10k less even though it might not be as good of a driving machine than 335i or won't give you the status and looks from people as a BMW would, 10k is still 10k. Therefore the 335i is a very grossly overpriced car for people that want to enlarge their ego on the road or maybe some other things as well. Don't get me wrong the 335i is a beautiful yet conservative car that oozes German luxury, and it is a very good driving machine, but its definitely not the Ultimate Driving Machine.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Top 50 PC games of all time. 10-1
It is finally here, the top 10 PC games of all time. Each of one of these games are so well crafted in every aspect that it stood the test of time and is almost enjoyed by all gamers all there. There are many of my personal favorites that did not make this list and that just shows the amount of good games that still come out on PC, this not only shows that PC gaming is superior to consoles but it is still live and well.
10. Diablo 2 (2000)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
on the surface its a shallow hack and slash RPG with no story, no direction, no script for anything. Yet 10 years later Diablo 2 remains one of the most popular online RPG ever. With lack of story, in depth RPG element and characters Blizzard has made it up with incredible amount of attention to detail, customization and mind blowing complexity and variety when it comes to items in the game. The game play is simple yet hard to master and most important it set an addicting style that is to become the Blizzard trademark for years to come. The amount of content in the game and the addicting game play far surpasses 90% of all modern games.
9. X-COM: UFO Defense (1994)
-developer: Mythos Games
This is probably the father of all modern RTS games. Compare to today the game play is a bit simple but the execution was exceptional for a game that was build in 1994 with limited tech. Subsequently it became widely popular among strategy and wargame fan for reasons such as the excellent squad-based tactical interface, the combination of tactical and strategic elements and the ability to use and create new types of weapon and equipment as the game progress. In another word the game was pretty much way ahead of its time.
8. Fallout 2 (1998)
-developer: Black Isle Studios
One word: atmosphere. The Fallout series' desperate, dusty, washed-out world owes as much to classic Western films as nuclear holocaust science. Broken, wasted towns filled with broken, wasted people litter the radioactive landscape. You wield rusting rifles and meat-cleavers rather than shiny high-tech stuff. Bottle-caps are the currency. With a solid RPG system on top, Fallout 2's legendary status is secure.
It also secured Black Isle Studio somewhat short lived best RPG makers of all time status.
7. Planescape: Torment (1999)
-developer: Black Isle Studios/Bioware
As games get harder and harder to make, we're losing something: wealth of ideas. Since Planescape only used graphics to set the scene, and conveyed most of what went on through text, it had a richness that can't be matched when everything has to be represented graphically. A staggering 800,000-word script wove the epic story of your undying protagonist, his many misdeeds, and a past that will haunt you forever.
The game is not without faults however as the gameplay is not nearly as epic as the story, but that is the trait usually associated with games that has Bioware involved. But it did set many bars for modern RPGs and story driven games in general.
6. Warcraft 3 (2002)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
It goes without saying that a Blizzard game will be perfectly balanced, and give you elegantly crafted units that each serve a single tactical purpose. Where Warcraft 3 surprised was the excellent narrative - every mission was there to draw you through an intricate story, and the key characters joined in with the battles. At the middle of it all was Prince Arthas and his massacre of an infected village and subsequent exile. Strategy has rarely been so perfectly produced. And since it a Blizzard game you know its addictive, and Warcraft 3 is no different. It is still one of more played RTS online today with many different user created mods. In fact one of the most popular DOTA game is created from Warcraft 3.
5. Team Fortress 2 (2007)
-developer: Valve
Lets see Counter Strike was one of the most success mod turn into a stand alone game from Half Life, so what can Valve possibly do to top that? Incoming Team Fortress 2 and sequel to another mod and now its a stand alone game. It’s remarkable enough that TF2 can have nine classes and still make them all so different to play. That they all tessellate so satisfyingly, that their tools are expanding over time, and that each new map gives them all a new part to play, is a genuinely incredible accomplishment.
4. Baldur's Gate 2 (2000)
-developer: Bioware
Hundreds and hundreds hours into the game, and a decade later people are still discovering new things in Baldur's Gate 2 that they have never seen before. That is the amount of jaw dropping content Bioware decided to put into this RPG where its called the game of all games. It has the most complex game play and RPG element of all Bioware games and it has a world and a story that put all other Bioware games to shame, in fact it probably puts all other single player games out there to shame. Talking about getting your moneys worth you could easily get 10 times as much back from this game. It marked the high point for developer Bioware and RPG genre in general and since that day no one can duplicate the magic that is Baldur's Gate 2 not even Bioware themselves, it was truly a one of its own kind.
3. Half Life 2 (2004)
-developer: Valve
Valve’s masterful sequel was a turning point for the linear first-person shooter. It was the game that did everything so right that it diminished the accomplishments of every other contribution to the genre, and it seems to challenge anything that followed to do things differently or perish. Character, setting, physics, combat, puzzles: it’s nothing less than an object lesson in great design. And like the predecessor Half Life 2 has sprouted many popular mods, its like if you make a mod from Half Life 2 the sheer association alone would propel your game into one of the best PC game ever made, talk about the unique power Valve holds over PC gaming.
2. Starcraft (1998)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
When you think of a country's national sport what pops into your head? Football or even Baseball for us Americans, Table tennis for China, European Football for...Europeans, and hockey for Canadians. Well you get the idea but would you believe me if I said this sport in South Korea is in fact a 13 year old game made by Blizzard Entertainment? Pro sport style teams, pro sport style media coverage, pro style style tournament, and pro sport style stadium filled by hundreds and thousands fans watching. And yes that game is the internationally famous real time strategy game Starcraft. You don't even need to know that if the game is good or not, those alone make Starcraft worthy as the number 2 on this list. 13 years in the making Starcraft 2 is also the most anticipated sequel we have seen in recent times, and not just by South Koreans too.
1. Mine Sweeper (???)
-developer: ???
Oh you know you are the guilty one, playing mine sweeper at work when no one is watching. The truth is if you know how to turn on a computer then you have probably played mine sweeper before. Its not much of a modern game and an amateur game programmer can probably make it work but the number of people in the world that have played this game on their pc one time or another have made this game the number one game on this list.
Well all jokes aside the real number one on the list is:
1. World of Warcraft (2004)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
It consumes 12 million souls a year, it makes Blizzard the richest video game developer without making a new game for 6 years, it has been said(and tested) to be more addictive than crack, and it has caused plenty of media drama in regards to health related issues. Whether you like the game or not, have played it or have enough restrain to stay away from it you can not deny the effect that World of Warcraft has on the modern pop culture. No game besides WoW has caused such a big stir in the media with reasons other than violence in video games, no game has had so many media platform wanting to talk about it, the news, talk shows and even south park. All the bullshit aside WoW is an incredibly remarkable game on the technical level. No game has ever had such a large world for you to play in, no game has ever has such large and detailed lore behind the game that actually makes it believable, no game has ever had so many details to the smallest degree that its almost like a real...world. WoW is an unique experience like no other and I am not just talking about the addicting part, it is truly a master piece, a world so well crafted, an online community so large that you really feel like you are a small piece struggling in this enormous realistic fantasy world.
10. Diablo 2 (2000)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
on the surface its a shallow hack and slash RPG with no story, no direction, no script for anything. Yet 10 years later Diablo 2 remains one of the most popular online RPG ever. With lack of story, in depth RPG element and characters Blizzard has made it up with incredible amount of attention to detail, customization and mind blowing complexity and variety when it comes to items in the game. The game play is simple yet hard to master and most important it set an addicting style that is to become the Blizzard trademark for years to come. The amount of content in the game and the addicting game play far surpasses 90% of all modern games.
9. X-COM: UFO Defense (1994)
-developer: Mythos Games
This is probably the father of all modern RTS games. Compare to today the game play is a bit simple but the execution was exceptional for a game that was build in 1994 with limited tech. Subsequently it became widely popular among strategy and wargame fan for reasons such as the excellent squad-based tactical interface, the combination of tactical and strategic elements and the ability to use and create new types of weapon and equipment as the game progress. In another word the game was pretty much way ahead of its time.
8. Fallout 2 (1998)
-developer: Black Isle Studios
One word: atmosphere. The Fallout series' desperate, dusty, washed-out world owes as much to classic Western films as nuclear holocaust science. Broken, wasted towns filled with broken, wasted people litter the radioactive landscape. You wield rusting rifles and meat-cleavers rather than shiny high-tech stuff. Bottle-caps are the currency. With a solid RPG system on top, Fallout 2's legendary status is secure.
It also secured Black Isle Studio somewhat short lived best RPG makers of all time status.
7. Planescape: Torment (1999)
-developer: Black Isle Studios/Bioware
As games get harder and harder to make, we're losing something: wealth of ideas. Since Planescape only used graphics to set the scene, and conveyed most of what went on through text, it had a richness that can't be matched when everything has to be represented graphically. A staggering 800,000-word script wove the epic story of your undying protagonist, his many misdeeds, and a past that will haunt you forever.
The game is not without faults however as the gameplay is not nearly as epic as the story, but that is the trait usually associated with games that has Bioware involved. But it did set many bars for modern RPGs and story driven games in general.
6. Warcraft 3 (2002)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
It goes without saying that a Blizzard game will be perfectly balanced, and give you elegantly crafted units that each serve a single tactical purpose. Where Warcraft 3 surprised was the excellent narrative - every mission was there to draw you through an intricate story, and the key characters joined in with the battles. At the middle of it all was Prince Arthas and his massacre of an infected village and subsequent exile. Strategy has rarely been so perfectly produced. And since it a Blizzard game you know its addictive, and Warcraft 3 is no different. It is still one of more played RTS online today with many different user created mods. In fact one of the most popular DOTA game is created from Warcraft 3.
5. Team Fortress 2 (2007)
-developer: Valve
Lets see Counter Strike was one of the most success mod turn into a stand alone game from Half Life, so what can Valve possibly do to top that? Incoming Team Fortress 2 and sequel to another mod and now its a stand alone game. It’s remarkable enough that TF2 can have nine classes and still make them all so different to play. That they all tessellate so satisfyingly, that their tools are expanding over time, and that each new map gives them all a new part to play, is a genuinely incredible accomplishment.
4. Baldur's Gate 2 (2000)
-developer: Bioware
Hundreds and hundreds hours into the game, and a decade later people are still discovering new things in Baldur's Gate 2 that they have never seen before. That is the amount of jaw dropping content Bioware decided to put into this RPG where its called the game of all games. It has the most complex game play and RPG element of all Bioware games and it has a world and a story that put all other Bioware games to shame, in fact it probably puts all other single player games out there to shame. Talking about getting your moneys worth you could easily get 10 times as much back from this game. It marked the high point for developer Bioware and RPG genre in general and since that day no one can duplicate the magic that is Baldur's Gate 2 not even Bioware themselves, it was truly a one of its own kind.
3. Half Life 2 (2004)
-developer: Valve
Valve’s masterful sequel was a turning point for the linear first-person shooter. It was the game that did everything so right that it diminished the accomplishments of every other contribution to the genre, and it seems to challenge anything that followed to do things differently or perish. Character, setting, physics, combat, puzzles: it’s nothing less than an object lesson in great design. And like the predecessor Half Life 2 has sprouted many popular mods, its like if you make a mod from Half Life 2 the sheer association alone would propel your game into one of the best PC game ever made, talk about the unique power Valve holds over PC gaming.
2. Starcraft (1998)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
When you think of a country's national sport what pops into your head? Football or even Baseball for us Americans, Table tennis for China, European Football for...Europeans, and hockey for Canadians. Well you get the idea but would you believe me if I said this sport in South Korea is in fact a 13 year old game made by Blizzard Entertainment? Pro sport style teams, pro sport style media coverage, pro style style tournament, and pro sport style stadium filled by hundreds and thousands fans watching. And yes that game is the internationally famous real time strategy game Starcraft. You don't even need to know that if the game is good or not, those alone make Starcraft worthy as the number 2 on this list. 13 years in the making Starcraft 2 is also the most anticipated sequel we have seen in recent times, and not just by South Koreans too.
1. Mine Sweeper (???)
-developer: ???
Oh you know you are the guilty one, playing mine sweeper at work when no one is watching. The truth is if you know how to turn on a computer then you have probably played mine sweeper before. Its not much of a modern game and an amateur game programmer can probably make it work but the number of people in the world that have played this game on their pc one time or another have made this game the number one game on this list.
Well all jokes aside the real number one on the list is:
1. World of Warcraft (2004)
-developer: Blizzard Entertainment
It consumes 12 million souls a year, it makes Blizzard the richest video game developer without making a new game for 6 years, it has been said(and tested) to be more addictive than crack, and it has caused plenty of media drama in regards to health related issues. Whether you like the game or not, have played it or have enough restrain to stay away from it you can not deny the effect that World of Warcraft has on the modern pop culture. No game besides WoW has caused such a big stir in the media with reasons other than violence in video games, no game has had so many media platform wanting to talk about it, the news, talk shows and even south park. All the bullshit aside WoW is an incredibly remarkable game on the technical level. No game has ever had such a large world for you to play in, no game has ever has such large and detailed lore behind the game that actually makes it believable, no game has ever had so many details to the smallest degree that its almost like a real...world. WoW is an unique experience like no other and I am not just talking about the addicting part, it is truly a master piece, a world so well crafted, an online community so large that you really feel like you are a small piece struggling in this enormous realistic fantasy world.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Yawning Cat Outbounds Performance
We here are Yawning Cat Enterprises are thrilled at the amount of attention we have been receiving recently. Its less than a year and our blog has already had several requests from international magazines for reprints of some of our articles. We however had to decline these reprints, we enjoy keeping our content exclusive and free for all. Also our Company has received windfall profits from our anti-addiction WoW (World of Warcraft) clinics in undisclosed Eastern European countries.
To conclude this post I would like to share some stats with you..
The 3 most popular countries our readers are located in are: USA, Germany, and Poland
The 4 most popular browser software used are: Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera
The 3 most popular operating systems are: Windows, Mac, and Linux
The blog received the most ever hits on March 28, 2010
And the 3 most popular posts are: Top 10 of the Last Decade, Game review: Dragon Age: Origins, Game Review: Uncharted 2
I take from this that we have a very "tech minded" crowd that is on top of the new internet software and products. What we have to look forward to is more game reviews, computer reviews, relevant technology reviews and opinions posts. I hope everyone is enjoying the blog and a big congrats to our most popular writer XL.
PS: Wtf people, you dont like Trololo Cat?!
To conclude this post I would like to share some stats with you..
The 3 most popular countries our readers are located in are: USA, Germany, and PolandThe 4 most popular browser software used are: Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera
The 3 most popular operating systems are: Windows, Mac, and Linux
The blog received the most ever hits on March 28, 2010
And the 3 most popular posts are: Top 10 of the Last Decade, Game review: Dragon Age: Origins, Game Review: Uncharted 2
I take from this that we have a very "tech minded" crowd that is on top of the new internet software and products. What we have to look forward to is more game reviews, computer reviews, relevant technology reviews and opinions posts. I hope everyone is enjoying the blog and a big congrats to our most popular writer XL.
PS: Wtf people, you dont like Trololo Cat?!
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