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I was holding out to play Mass Effect one for the longest time, until I finally picked it up via Steam a month or so ago. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Classic Sci-Fi adventure game with artful combat system. Story line was short, but interesting. Yes, I did get to famous sex scene, and found it to be very tasteful, much more so than one may see on occasion on broadcast TV.
So, I am one of many now looking forward to upcoming release of Mass Effect 2. This recently released sneak peak of voices and stars behind Mass Effect 2 shows you how much of a movie-like production it has become. In my mind, the fact that you get to play main character inside this vast universe of stars (pun intended) is a grand bonus that soon will be a must for most people:

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What started as a simple upgrade of my daughter’s video card, turned into afternoon of sheer terror. I don’t really know if it’s nVidia to blame, or some incompetence of EA developers, but result is tragic just the same.

Naturally, after I replaced the graphics card on her Windows XP system, I updated the driver to match the newer nVidia chipset. Then I decided to test out Sims 2, her favorite game, as a final confirmation that the upgrade went well.

Only, the game didn’t start at all!!! So I proceeded to try her second favorite game, Sims 3. Same result, doesn’t start! No error, no clues, nothing!!! I proceeded to run DxDiag utility (all you do is type it into your Run prompt), and it showed that “No Problems Detected”.

I spent hours, reinstalling the game, scouting online articles for ideas. Checking settings, resetting graphics options, touring the registry. Much fun….. ..NOT! As a father, don’t you hate it when you disappoint (and UPSET) your child!!! I was really upset!

What I eventually found on Sims support site (and not main EA support site, where I went first) was Unbelievable! Latest nVidia drivers, they say, CAUSES THE GAME NOT TO START! And the only solution right now is to uninstall new drivers and roll back to August version!

Well, I can confirm now that this resolves the issue. But, what is this incompetence?! Did nVidia mess up most basic compatibility tests and unleashed Faulty drivers onto the world! Or did EA developers simply not use DirectX APIs properly?

Game on, fellow Sims lovers, and here’s to hoping EA and nVidia will get together and resolve this unfortunate disaster, via an Update (both games support auto-patching!) before major Class Action Lawsuit materializes!

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I noticed that they took down Most of the movies I liked on Hulu as my recommendations, a year ago. Only Girl Next Door remains, which brings up a thought of a Chicken-n-Egg situation. Specifically – Do they put Young Guy attracting movies because that is their demographics, or is their demographics this way because they put Young Guy attracting movies?

But, you are not here for brain teasers, are you. So, no fear, as I set out to compile my latest time-killers list of Favorites, to satisfy your fancy (if your taste is anything like mine, that is). Again, available only in USA (most likely). Voila:

• Action: Air Force One – Great suspense, well executed all around
• Drama: Fatal Attraction – Borderline drama, thriller, and will help ensure that you never date again
• Sci-Fi: Virtuality – Something new, made for TV, but heck, why not…
• Science Documentary: Cosmic Voyage – Well spent 36 minutes, if it is that time of day when you brain still works
• Independent: Gamebox 1.0 – I’ll admit it, I haven’t watched the movie, but reviews look promising!
• Kids and Family (free babysitter! ) – Anastasia – Even has a bit of historical authenticity to it

Frankly, the quality of movies is drastically lower than it was a year ago. I think their lack-of-revenue is showing. Of course you can always try crowdsourcing the task of choosing the best movie for you (but see warning from paragraph one above).

Better yet, hit their excellent TV shows selection, which is still very decent. Enjoy!

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I am thrilled this weekend! Ecstatic! I have been looking for a knockoff or even this original classic game, for at least a year now, hoping to introduce my kids to it and have some fun playing together!

This weekend I happen to visit the excellent Wikipedia page for this game, and noticed a link to a completely payable Flash Version of this game!! Even has the original Music and Sound Effects, amazing!!!

What is this game, you ask? It’s a board-game style Game of Life simulator. You simply play week by week, figuring out how much of the week’s time to allocate for various activities. Choose between eating (dohh), relaxing at home, working, or learning in Hi-Tech U. Of course you need to manage your budget through all of this and decide when to buy shiny new TV, move to better housing or try to find a better job.

This is just high level, the game has great depth, and definitely teaches you some real skills useful in life out there.

Kids and I already played one big game, late into Friday! Silly computer won, but my youngest came in close second, and me 3rd (What!? I forgot how to play, Okay!). And today, I plan to have a big challenge match, at least one. Kids love it also, starting to realize that it isn’t an easy game to master. Really fun for the whole family! There are enough surprises (winning lottery, getting robbed, getting fired, etc) to keep it interesting from match to match.

Of course, lots of credit goes out to Sierra! I really loved them and their games. So sad that they lost their way and disappeared into corporate jungle of America nowadays. Also, Kevin Boye, whoever you are, Thanks a Ton for porting this to flash!!!

Play it now, right here!

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Be sure to click through to Vimeo to watch in HD (if your connection allows). Also, for the record, I love this music and the whole thing is excellent!

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