Major Nelson has just announced that Rez HD will be hitting the Xbox Live marketplace this Wednesday, for 800 MS points.

An excellent opportunity for people who missed the game when it was first released, Rez HD will feature 720p visuals as well as 5.1 surround sound.

Also announced was Chessmaster LIVE, will which also retail at 800 MS points.

Games have come a long way in the 20 years that I've been playing them, and with their ever increasing popularity and fame, they're also drawing negative attention.

Latest on the hit list, is Mass Effect.  A complete shock, when there are games out there that are much more violent and graphic.  However, the violence here is not the issue.  Instead, it's the sex scene.

One person even went as far as saying that it was a customisable rape simulator.  Though his article has since been removed, Kevin McCullough has since gone on to "apologise."

But it didn't stop there, recently Fox news recently broadcast a segment on Mass Effect claiming (as Kevin McCullough did) that it features full digital nudity, where the person playing can choose exactly what happens during the "infamous" sex scene.

In response to this EA's VP of Communications, Jeff Brown, issued a letter asking that the obvious liable statements be retracted.  He states: -

"Your headline above the televised story read: 'New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex.'

• Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots – a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It's also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.

FNC voice-over reporter says: "You'll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex."

• Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.

FNC reporter says: "Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers."

• Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature – appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.

(A full transcript can be found, here)

I'm with Jeff on this one.  As I stated on Kevin McCullough's article before it was pulled, a little research could have gone a long way.  It's clear that no one on that panel had even played the game, even the person against it in the segment hadn't touched it (nor had the newscaster).

But the thing that gets me, is that people are still claiming that it's being marketed and sold to children.  It's rated "M" for a reason, if children are able to get a hold of it, then it's the parents and stores that are to fault; not the game makers, or Microsoft. Parents need to step up and show a little responsibility, instead of giving in when little Jamie Jr wants a copy of GTA, or Gears of War.

To follow up on my story about the Xbox Live service outages, both Major Nelson and AceyBongos have announced that the free game that gold and silver members will be receiving in compensation, is Undertow.

Undertow will only be free for one week (well, actually 5 days), starting next Wednesday, after which time it will revert back to it's usual price of 800 ms points.

Full story, here.

You can go a whole week without finding any news, then a billion stories appear at once.

Activision and Odeon are teaming up for a competition which will see the winner playing Call of Duty 4, on a cinema screen.  The offer closes this weekend.

Team Ninja needs your help! They're currently asking people to help create the achievements for their upcoming game, Ninja Gaiden 2.  GamerScore Blog have the full details, however the offer closes on January 24th, so hurry!

Rumours are abound that the classic Duke Nukem 3D, will be reworked for XBLA.  Featuring four player action via Xbox Live, this 1996 hit is rumoured to be up for release in the next several months.  Hail to the king, baby!

Finally for those who missed the announcement, both Darth Vader and Yoda will be appearing in Soul Calibur IV.  But don't get your hopes up on having a Vader vs Yoda face-off, Darth Vader is a PS3 exclusive, while Yoda is exclusive to the Xbox 360 version.

IGN are reporting that Beautiful Katamari will be coming to Europe in February.

Beautiful Katamari is the latest instalment of Bandai Konami's series of games, which gained a cult following with PSP and PS2 iterations.  Beautiful Katamari will mark the series debut on the Xbox 360, and will include 720p visuals, as well as the option for multiplayer via Xbox Live.

  
Beautiful Katamari screenshots

More information about Beautiful Katamari, can be found at the official site.

Major Nelson has confirmed that Burnout 3: Takedown will be launched on Xbox originals, via the Xbox Live Marketplace.  The title will go live on Monday 14th January, and will be available worldwide (except Japan), for 1200 MS points.

Xbox originals is a new service that launched last month, which allows 360 owners to download selected Xbox titles via the marketplace. Xbox original titles have not been modified in any way, and as such contain no achievements.

  
Burnout 3: Takedown screenshots

Rumours are hitting the net from both N4G, and Xbox Evolved, stating Rareware are planning to release the N64 smash "Goldeneye" for XBLA.

This title will apparently include updated graphics, as well as multiplayer via Xbox Live.

Could this pave the way for other Rareware titles such as Perfect Dark and Banjo-Kazooie?

    
Goldeneye XBLA screenshots

Update: OXM have posted a story from a Rare fan site stating that the Goldeneye remake was blocked by Nintendo, who forced Activision to comply if they wanted to stay on good terms with the big N. However, OXM is unsure whether the story is true or not.

Update: Both Kotaku, and 1UP.com have posted stories claiming that the Goldeneye remake was indeed in production.  With 2 months left to completion, disagreements over financing led to the project being terminated. (12/01/08)

1. Windows Media Player 11 (Tutorial)
   
2. TVersity (Tutorial)
3. The Orb (Tutorial)
4. Transcode 360 (Tutorial) (Windows XP MCE only!)
   

People are always asking me what software I use, and where to get it

I tend to use a lot of "Open Source" software and "freeware", as alternatives to the stuff bundled with Windows and the expensive packages designed for professional companies.

It's sometimes easier to find free stuff than it is to find cracks for the corporate stuff.  And besides, legally free means the cops won't bust your door down and take your PC away.

So, what do I use? What do I recommend?

Internet Software

Internet Browsers

Firefox - This is an open source browser that beats Microsoft's Internet Explorer with it's eyes closed.  It's customizable, expandable through plugins and is pretty tough on pop ups and spyware.  

Opera - Another free browser that quick and simple to use, like Firefox it is expandable through the use of plugins.

Mail Clients

Thunderbird - If you download your mail through Outlook Express (yeah, I know it's old school), you may want to switch to a safer alternative.  I recommend Thunderbird, made by the same community that created Firefox.  It's got a pretty sturdy junk mail filter, which adapts to the choices you make, so if junk mail does get through it'll learn what it is and block it in the future.

Firewall

ZoneAlarm - If you're online, you are prone to hack attempts.  My personal view is that it doesn't matter if you're on a 56k connection, or a broadband one, if you're online eventually someone will try to hack you.  You need a firewall, plain and simple.  Zone Labs have created ZoneAlarm.  It comes in a number of different flavours, however they do provide a nice FREE version.

Comodo - I've had a few minor problems using ZoneAlarm on my laptop. If you find the same, I suggest you try Comodo. It's free, and as easy to use as ZoneAlarm.

Chat Software

Trillian - Do you have MSN, AIM, Yahoo, and ICQ? Do you use them all at the same time? Well stop! Use Trillian instead, it combines all 4 chat programs in one easy interface.  Oh, and it also has an IRC client in there too.

Pidgin - Pidgin (formerly Gaim) is a lovely piece of software that is similar to Trillian, but improves on the idea greatly.  It's faster, and can handle more IM services.  It can be used for MSN, AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber, and a few other things too.

Twirl - If you use Twitter a lot, then a solid standalone client is essential.  Twirl works using Adobe Air and is small, fast, and supports most of the common Twitter functions.

Download Software

GetRight - I found back in my 56k days that I tended to get disconnected a lot.  It ruined being able to download files, and it ruled out being able to download anything "big".  I ended up stumbling across GetRight, it enables you to resume downloads after being disconnected.  On broadband? Still worth downloading, just in case you have to turn your PC off.

Free Download Manager - A fantastic alternative to Getright, Free Download Manager (FDM) does everything that Getright can do.  It has a slick interface, and is highly customisable.  It is compatible with Internet Explorer, Opera and FireFox.

Vuze - (Previously Azureus) I tend to download a lot of "torrents".  The standard BitTorent software is a nightmare, and usually means that if you are downloading more than one torrent, you'll have a few windows open.  Vuze is a BitTorrent client that can handle more than one download, meaning no more windows and a nice way of keeping track of everything.  If you use BitTorrent, then this is essential.

uTorrent - A fantastic alternative to Vuze.  Its small file size means that it's lightweight and fast, even on PCs with low specifications.  I can't recommend this program enough.

LimeWire - I tend not to use P2P network software, but if there is something I can't find through torrent sites it can usually be found over a P2P network.  LimeWire is free, and I haven't had any problems with it yet.

Anti Virus Software

AVG - Can't afford the latest anti-virus software?  Don't despair! Grisoft created AVG.  As with ZoneAlarm, it comes in a number of different flavours.  But the most basic version is free, and it works ;)

Avast! - Avast! is a virus scanner from Alwil Software.  It comes in a variety of forms, however their home version is completely free, is fully featured, and is actually pretty impressive (especially for a free virus scanner).

Spyware Removal Software

Ad-Aware - Chances are, even if you have Firefox, some spyware will eventually end up on your system.  Lavasoft created Ad-Aware, a program designed to identify and remove the nasty stuff that ends up on your system.  The "personal" version is free.

Spybot S&D - It's always good to have more than one form of spyware protection.  I've found Spybot to be the perfect accompaniment to Ad-aware.  This software is completely free.

SUPERAntiSpyware - Spyware removal software that promises to "remove ALL the spyware, NOT just the easy ones!"

Office Software

Open Office - A completely free alternative to MS Office.  It looks similar, and does everything that the Microsoft version does.  If you haven't got MS Office, and need a good Office package, then the Open Office website should be your port of call.

NoteTab Light - A completely free alternative to Notepad, that features tabs and auto identation.  I use it for editing HTML/CSS/PHP.

Scribus - Scribus is a fully functional Desktop Publishing package that helps you create great looking documents of all kinds. It also comes with a lot of support options to help you achieve the best results, in whichever types of documents you are creating.

Media Players

Winamp - I've been using Winamp as my PC MP3 player of choice since the late 90s.  It has a lot of functions, is skinable, and isn't a resource hog like Windows Media Player.

VLC Media Player - After I discovered that the latest version of BS Player was loaded with spyware, I went on a quest to find something that was "free, reliable, powerful, and of course spyware free."  I found VLC.  A cross platform media player with a whole host of features.  I highly recommend this piece of software.

Programming Software

Eclipse - I use Eclipse for Java programming.  It apparently can be configured to run pretty much any programming language, but so far I've only used it for Java (J2SE and J2ME).  It's good, very good.

FTP Software

FileZilla - Need FTP Software? FileZilla is for you.  It's FTP software, not much I can really say.  However, FileZilla does it's job perfectly, and I recommend it to anyone who needs FTP software.

Image Manipulation Software

GIMP - Need a free alternative to Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro? GIMP may just be the package for you.

UnFREEz - Want to make animated icons? UnFREEz is a simple and fast program.  And, it's FREE.

Paint.NET - Paint.NET is an image manipulation software package that has been designed for use on computers with Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.  It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

MP3 Software

Audiograbber - Want to make your own mp3s?  Audiograbber is what I use, it's quick and simple and can do an entire CD in around 15 minutes.  It was made freeware a while back, so it won't cost you a penny.

Compression Software

UltimateZip - Opens every type of archive (zip, rar, ace, etc).  Essential if you don't want to have a million different types of software to open archives.

7-Zip - An open source file manager that can open a host of different archive types (zip, rar, etc), it can also compress in various different methods as well as its own 7z format.

Audio Editing Software

Audacity - An open source easy to use audio editor and recorder.  It is used by a lot of sites in the creation of their podcasts.

Microsoft Visual Studio Express

Microsoft have released a whole series of "Express" products that are designed for students, hobbyists, and novices.  These are all free, full products.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Edition - Used for creating databases as well as certain website features.

Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition - Fully functional IDE used for programming in Visual Basic.

Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition - Fully functional IDE used for programming in C++.

Microsoft Visual C# Express Edition - Fully functional IDE used for programming in C# (C sharp).

Microsoft Visual J# Express Edition - Fully functional IDE used for programming in J# (J sharp).

Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express Edition - Fully functional IDE used for designing web pages.  In a similar vein to the likes of Dreamweaver, though used to create pages using ASP.Net.

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If anyone has any free software that they would recommend to someone, please feel free to comment so that I can check it out and add it to the list (even if I don't have a section for it).

List updated: 21 January 2009.

My setup (Consoles)

My Setup (Computers)

The images are fully tagged, and by clicking the links listed above you can see everything in much more detail.

I also have a video showing these setups in operation, on YouTube.

There is also an extended video of my setup available here.

Consoles owned

Xbox 360 (Premium)
Xbox
Nintendo Gamecube
Playstation 1
Nintendo DS
GBA SP

Xbox 360 Accessories

Wireless Controller
Play and Charge Kit
Live Vision Cam
Chatpad
Wireless Headset
3 Wired Headsets
HD-DVD Player
120GB HDD (to replace the 20GB HDD that came with the Premium)

Computer specifications

Desktop PC

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.80Ghz (Q9550).
• Display: 17inch TFT monitor.
• Memory: 4gb (Corsair TwinX XMS2 6400 - DDR 2).
• HDD: 500gb SATA 2.
• Media drives: Floppy disk drive, Zip Drive, Pioneer region free DVD player, Pioneer DVD-RW.
• Video: Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ (512mb, PCI-E).
• Network: 10/100 Ethernet.
• Sound: Sound Blaster Live Audigy.
• Keyboard: Logitech Deluxe Keyboard.
• Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0.
• Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium (64bit).

Laptop (Dell Inspiron 6400)

• Processor: Intel Centrino Duo 1.83 GHz.
• Display: 15.4inch Wide Screen WXGA TFT.
• Memory: 1gb.
• HDD: 80GB.
• Media drives: 8X DVD+/-RW.
• Video: 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400.
• Network: 10/100 Ethernet, 56k modem, and Intel Pro WLAN 3945 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g 54 Mbps) for Duo Processors.
• Sound: SigmaTel sound card.
• Operating system: Windows XP MCE.

I have too many games to list here, however a full breakdown of all games that I own can be found on my Backloggery.