I Need to Free up Some Hard Drive Space

The hard drive I got nearly three years ago is a SATA II 80 GB. It's nowhere near top of the range, but I am planning on perhaps buying a new hard drive some time.

In the mean time, out of 80 GB, I only have about 6GB. You can imagine how slow the thing probably runs. Sometime I've got to make a backup, do a disk defrag, do some late spring cleaning on the thing, and uninstall some of the stuff on there.

Putting Modern Warfare 2 on took up about 11.5 GB or so, and in order to accommodate this I had to take off some games that nobody plays anymore, like Prototype. I don't know, I didn't really find it that fantastic. I kept all my save games and such though.

I also took of the Trine demo, and the Trails 2 demo as well. So, now to get rid of something else perhaps.

I Need to Free up Some Hard Drive Space

Got Modern Warfare 2 Yesterday

Well, I got the game; the game everyone has been waiting for; the most hyped game of the year. And it is pretty damn good.

I picked up Modern Warfare 2 yesterday (just the regular standard edition, since it's for PC- not much of a choice anyway), and I played it in the early hours of this morning and this afternoon. I must say it's been a while since I've actually looked forward to every time I fire a game up, and want to play it.

Sooner or later I guess I'll do one of my RRR articles on it, but I want to play it first. I don't agree with only playing a game for like a few hours on one day before publishing a review like some sites do. I guess they're under time constraints and such, but to me it's just a hobby, a passion- not a job.

I can tell you one thing though: everyone was saying that the PC install would take up 16 GB, but I needed only 11-12 GB. Don't know about anyone else.

Got Modern Warfare 2 Yesterday

Possible NAG January Edition DVD Highlights: The Dark Mod

Well, I was on the NAG forums just now having a look around, because I wanted to see if a new thread was open for NAG DVD suggestions. Seeing as the website has a policy that you must post 20 posts in existing threads before being able to post new threads on your own, I'm still a junior member. It cuts down on the spamming, apparently, but it's damn irritating.

Well, I had a look at the thread, which is now closed unfortunately, but I saw that somebody managed to notice The Dark Mod, and requested it be put on the January Edition of the NAG DVD (which is available in December), and put a link to ModDB before I could say anything, which is cool. The guy said it reminded him of Thief. You don't say...

This doesn't mean it will definitely be on the DVD, but I'm hoping it does make it, seeing as I am not downloading it myself. It's too big, and I'm all ready struggling to get a hold of the Duke Nukem 3D Special Polymer Edition HRP which is large enough as it is.

Other good possibilities that were suggested were:

Metal Gear Solid Philanthropy (fan-made movie)
Left for Dead 2 demo

Possible NAG January Edition DVD Highlights: The Dark Mod

Musical Association with Video Games: What are you Thinking?

Friday the 13th

Do you remember that old word association game, that some people claim is used by psychologists and such on their patients? Well, when you listen to music, with a particular track, there’s usually some sort of thought that comes into your mind, and every time you listen to that track, that’s what pops in your head. Sometimes it’s easy, because the theme of the song pretty much does it all for you- it’s literal. But other times, there’s some inexplicable idea that revolves in your head when you listen to a song, maybe because it can be interpreted in many ways.

Well, I’ve just been thinking about it lately, and I have some examples of video games I think about when listening to some music tracks. I’ve been listening to Megadeth’s latest album, Endgame, since it came out back in September, and there’s a track on there by the same name, “Endgame”, and when I listen to it, I first think about Thief, particularly those Hammerites, and Cragscleft prison in Thief: The Dark Project. This is probably because of the theme of the song. "Endgame" deals with the infamous Guantanamo Bay Facility. As the song progresses however, I start to think about Wolfenstein 3D or Spear of Destiny, especially like a boss level at the end of an episode. Why I think it’s perfect in this sense, is because of the lyrics:

“This is the end of the road; this is the end of the line,
This is the end of your life; this is the end.”

Also, another track that makes me think of Wolf 3D is “To Live is to Die” by Metallica, especially part of the intro riff.

Another example: While listening to "The Unforgiven", by Metallica on their black album, it may be because of James Hetfield’s emphasis on the part of the song which makes me think of Duke Nukem 3D, when you kill those alien troopers and they scream.

"What I've felt,
What I've known..."

Finally, If I listen to "Wherever I May Roam", like a posted about the other day, while listening to the intro, I think about Assassin's Creed, and as the song progresses I get images of Quake II, because parts of the song remind me of the Sonic Mayhem composed track that plays when you're in the factory levels, like the Processing Plant.

Megadeth's "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due", and Motörhead's "Assassin" also turn my thoughts to Assassin's Creed.

Weird, you say? Well, you do it too, you know.

Musical Association with Video Games: What are you Thinking?

Another Direct2Drive Indie Game Sale- Volume 2: Seven Games for $24.95

Direct2Drive did this before not too long ago and now there’s a new sale on, and the bundle includes seven indie games, all for $24.95.

The game bundle includes Project Aftermath, Aquaria, I-Fluid, And Yet It Moves, Acceleration of Suguri, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! and Crayon Physics Deluxe. The deal ends on November 16.

Best of Indie Bundle Volume 2

Another Direct2Drive Indie Game Sale- Volume 2: Seven Games for $24.95

Have you Heard of a mod Called Hypertension?

I have, but not a lot, I'll admit. I've often heard of ZBlood or Transfusion, projects which have tried to port Blood into the Doom and Quake engine, respectively. This one is also being created in a Doom based engine, but a highly tweaked form, called Hyper3dge, a variant of the EDGE engine derived from the Doom source code.

Well, I came across a news update on Planet Doom recently which talked about the Hypertension mod, and about an interview that took place on Diehard Gamefan with the team working on the project. It's been revealed that this mod will be available for PC, Mac, Linux, GP2X Whiz, and oddly enough, the Sega Dreamcast (which is why Diehard Gamefan became interested in the first place, being fans of the console, as are certain members of the team).

Since I am playing the original Blood right as we speak, I was naturally interested and decided to check it out.

It's a lot of reading to wade through, but there are some good bits, and I can't help but have the feeling that this isn't just your average mod. There will be stuff brought back from Blood, as well as the somewhat disappointing sequel, Blood II: The Chosen, as well as all new stuff too. So instead of just a straight port, there will be a fresh experience, created by having two playable characters (one of them being Caleb, our favourite sadistic maniac from the original), as well as a new story, bridging the original Blood games in an all-new take, including some new gameplay such as RPG elements. There's also some effort going into acting, cinematics, and the soundtrack too. The team seems to like blowing their own horn(s) when it comes to what they've been able to achieve with the mod, saying that even John Carmack would be impressed.

From looking at their blog, the mod seems to have been in development since last year, and all of a sudden there's this renewed interest in it, after a few trailers were released last month and this month. Supposedly the mod has been delayed.

Blood is an oft debated title, especially in modding circles, seeing as the source code for the game hasn't been released, even all these years later, while Shadow Warrior and especially Duke Nukem 3D have all gotten a lot of attention over the years with multiple source ports because the source codes for the game were released several years back. When you look at what has been accomplished with Duke 3D, with the HRP, Polymer, and Duke Plus, you just can't believe it's the same game. It's astounding.

Besides, I still haven't heard any mention of a third Blood game coming any time soon, so for the moment, Hypertension looks bloody good.

Have you Heard of a mod Called Hypertension?

Apocalypse Then: Ten Years of Medal of Honor

Veterans Day


On this day in gaming, in 1999, Medal of Honor for the Playstation was released. Developed by DreamWorks Interactive (now EA Los Angeles) and published by Electronic Arts, it was the original title in a franchise that is hailed as one of the best World War II shooter series, and indeed one of the best First-person shooter series in the genre, often competing with other series like Call of Duty and Brothers in Arms. Indeed, some are under the impression that it is the “first ever World War II First Person Shooter”, or at least the one that springs to mind.

Now admittedly, I haven't played the original, even though I have been around Playstation consoles in the past, but I have seen it, read about it, and heard about it enough. I think I read reviews of Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: Underground years ago, and no doubt it intrigued me a lot, and when Allied Assault was due to arrive on the PC, I was more than eager to have a go with it.

Also, the American spelling of "Honour" has also niggled me for years.

IGN (Imagine Games Network) ranked the game number 21 on their list of the "Top 25 Games of All Time" for the PlayStation, and Guinness World Records awarded the Medal of Honor series with a world record for "Best Selling First Person Shooter Series" in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008.

And on top of this, the game’s story was created by Steven Spielberg, who also directed Saving Private Ryan, one the best war movies of all time, which came out a year earlier. The Medal of Honor series is often considered to be related to this film, as Spielberg is associated with both, and his name crops up in the credits for more than one of the games in the franchise. Of course another name which has become synonymous with Medal of Honor is Dale Dye, a retired USMC Captain, who served in the Vietnam War, who has been in the movie and video game business for the last twenty something years, and has worked on numerous high-profile war and action films, and not to mention MoH, where he served as the game's military advisor, and has maintained this position on most other MoH titles.

In Medal of Honor, the player takes on the role of Lieutenant James Steven Patterson (or Jimmy Patterson for short), an American soldier and OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA) operative during World War II , and this has become a theme somewhat, at least initially, with the first few titles, with Manon Batiste being with the French resistance, and Lieutenant Mike Powell in Allied Assault also being an OSS operative. Stealth, intelligence gathering, fighting behind enemy lines, sabotage, infiltration and such played a role in these games, but this style of play was abandoned in later sequels.

Lately, as of the last year or more, there have been rumours and even official talk of a new Medal of Honor title, and the last time I read about this was indeed on the eve of the series’ tenth anniversary. There are reportedly plans, although much of this could be speculation, that this title will take place in a more modern setting, such as its contemporary series, Call of Duty, which received its latest incarnation just this week: Modern Warfare 2.

It’s said that the MoH series will drop its long-lasting World War II theme and follow in Infinity Ward’s footsteps. To this day, we have yet to see any real evidence of this. No screenshots, concept art; not much at all.

Medal of Honor titles:

• Medal of Honor (Lt. Jimmy Patterson) - (PlayStation) - 1999
• Medal of Honor: Underground (Manon Batiste) - (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance) - 2000
• Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (Lt. Mike Powell) - (Linux, Windows, Mac OS) - 2002
• Medal of Honor: Allied Assault - Spearhead (Sgt. Jack Barnes) - (Linux, Windows, Mac OS)
• Medal of Honor: Allied Assault - Breakthrough (Sgt. John Baker) - (Linux, Windows, Mac OS)
• Medal of Honor: Frontline (Lt. Jimmy Patterson) - (Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube) - 2002
• Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (Cpl/Sgt. Joseph Griffin) - (Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube) - 2003
• Medal of Honor: Infiltrator (Cpl. Jake Murphy) - (Game Boy Advance) - 2003
• Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (Pvt/Pfc/Lcpl/Cpl/Sgt. Tommy Conlin) - (Windows) - 2004
• Medal of Honor: European Assault (Lt. William Holt) - (Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube) - 2005
• Medal of Honor: Heroes (Lt. Jimmy Patterson, Lt. William Holt, Sgt. John Baker) - (PlayStation Portable) - 2006
• Medal of Honor: Vanguard (Cpl/Sgt. Frank Keegan) - (PlayStation 2, Wii) - 2007
• Medal of Honor: Airborne (Pfc/Cpl. Boyd Travers) - (Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Mobile) - 2007
• Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (Lt. John Berg) - (PlayStation Portable, Wii) – 2007
• Latest Medal of Honor title (TBA)

Apocalypse Then: Ten Years of Medal of Honor