FarCry2 Gameplay Update

So, I've been playing it since yesterday, and probably totaled over 5 hours so far. Get this; I've only progressed to 8%.  I must say I am surprised how the tech evolved since Crysis. 

I've seen very minimal loading screens; basically only when I load a checkpoint or take the bus...yes, you can take the bus to different stops on the map...it's ridiculous.

I think I've just spent hours exploring everything and messin' with militia just to have them pissed off and chasing after me, ultimately ending up in me blowing them back [to hell].  This kind of expansive(ness) and interactivity, along with spontaniety reminds me of GTA, I must say.

The game basically has you do a bunch of "jobs" or hits, and thru this you earn connections and reputation, or lose it.  Rough diamonds are the currency medium in the game, which are hidden all over the map in suitcases. (Over 225 cases to find)  There's a gun shop (where you buy arms, thru a computer)

Oh, and burning things is not only the best backup option, but also the worst.  You're in Africa. Everything is dry.  You are low on ammo, so you bust out the rustbucket flamethrower and torch a line of fire between your enemies and you....but end up backing up against a rockwall and the flames close in on you (and your enemies, in both directions).  So it's a great gun when you actually plan on using it instead of using it out of desperation.  Flame on!

This game is great. It incorporates excellent CG graphics and gameplay plus a little Cabela's hunting in Africa. Can it get better?

Yes, that's a gorgeous, fast little dune buggy. Thing friggin' rocks.

the outskirts of the map are blistering dunes, of which you can die of heat exhaustion. lovely.

one huge seamlessly expansive map. incredible.

Specular, HDR, and "God" Ray Lighting are all standard and actually require less than Crysis, so it'll play and look better without eating up your computer.  (Even though I believe the CryEngine 2 is way better than FarCry 2's "Dunia" engine.

Far Cry 2, is finally [legally] here!

I'm enjoying figuring this game out.  Excellent graphics right out of the box.

-Seems like it's completely unrelated to the first one, btw-

I got the Gamestop (holla!) Pre-Order Edition, which includes "over" 3 hours of extra gameplay, and a map of the African world of Far Cry 2.

Running it smoothly and effectively at:

1680 x 1050

Vsync

Very High Settings

DirectX 10

*and to think, I actually considered buying two new graphics cards for this game*

(And no, it is not more of a graphics hog than Crysis)

Neu Yorkshire Citadel

Went to NYC with my wonderful sweetness and spent the whole day and night there.  Had a great time. [end]

Zero'ed In

A nice NcSTAR 3-9x40mm sniper scope will fit well with my incoming Type96...

-Adjustable magnification (3x-9x)

- Rubberized durable skin

10/24/08 UPDATE : The scope and Type96 work impressively well. Excellent craftsmanship and durability.  good deal.

S&W1911-a-like

That's the original Wilson Combat slide on it, that I sprayed today. I like.  Reminds me of the SW1911.  But now I'm considering spraying the frame as well...a "bit" more complicated.

Caspian Diplomacy

That's what happened to the Wilson Combat Colt after it broke; I fitted this slick Caspian slide to it and voila!

In The Eyes of the Beholder

(taken with the Sony T500)

i had yet another moment.

The Think Green Campaign

I had a moment. 

Disgustingly Disgusting.

WE Colt MK IV 

-SERIES 80-

So tonight, I came home, and my neighbor intercepted me saying that she had a couple packages come in today.  (oh yeah!) It's always an awesome feeling when you get a package, especially a box, in the mail.  Well, I got two tonight, two yesterday, one on wednesday, and one on monday, and I have one coming in either tomorrow or Monday, so this is one of those "I feel so special, I must be spoiled" weeks, which never happens.

Anyway, tonight was the Evike.com order.  The guns.  I had ordered a Wilson Combat CQB Elite Colt, but after reading reviews, decided to cancel it.  Instead, I had bought the solid competition gun, the Colt Mk.IV plus some green gas. Au contraire, evike I suppose, made a "slight" mistake like I thought (hoped) they would.....and sent me both guns plus the gas.  I was delighted to say the least. :D

I proceeded to open the package No.1 and found the Wilson Combat Colt, and instantly was dissapointed they had sent me the "wrong" one, assuming the other box was the gas. Nope; they also threw in a UTG soft pistol case, in which I can fit all of my 4 [hi-power] pistols in. (It also perfectly fits my 6 magazines for the guns.  Impressed, but not surprised, I was.

WE Wilson Combat Colt

-CQB ELITE-

Loading the WCC, however, was quite impractical for the field, but doable if no rush needed.  the inner cavity for the gas reciever on the bottom of the mag was deep, so WC provided an extension piece to place between the gas bottle nozzle and the mag's gas reciever.  And, it's a small easily lost piece if not careful, so I have to make sure to find a good spot for it, and fill the mags before going out.  

The Wilson Combat CQB Colt is absolutely gorgeous (yeah, I know I said it) and is a very solid and fast-firing gun.  Here is what I observed so far: 

-Blowback is strong

-Accuracy is unarguable 

-tactical 3-dot sights

-laser/light rail integrated into the frame

-two 15-round mags included

-sounds, feels, looks amazing with engraved "Wilson Combat" and "CQB Elite" on either side of the slide

-tactical slide grips on front

-excellent balanced weight

-good power

-unacceptable price - (even though I didn't have to pay for it) $150

--2.5/5 stars so far, because internal parts broke and that shouldn't happen with a 150 dollar gun :(

So the Wilson broke, but I already had ordered a new slide before it did, and got to slip it on and she shoots perfectly and looks even better now. problem solved.

Peace.

Introducing, The AlphaScope

This beauty is a little something I picked up on Amazon.com recently.  It came with a 2x converter, so whatever zoom (mm) I put in, it will multiply by a factor of 2.

a Phoenix 650-1300mm MF Super telephoto lens.

with the 2X converter, 1300-2600mm. :)

I'm taking it out for a test run tomorrow, since I just opened it and figured out how to bypass the shutter lock tonite.  The moon wasn't out, so I really didn't have anything to do with it tonite.

It has a T mount, so I had them throw in a Sony/Minolta "A" mount adapter, and things come together harmoniously. :)

My Alpha is so spoiled.

Never Fails

On my way to college, I see an Audi A8 in Lincroft, no matter what time it is...I always see one, and decided to catch it this time.  Don't ask how, I just do, and they aren't exactly your popular Civic or Accord.  Great car, no doubt, but there's always one roaming around the area of the campus.  Never fails.

Awaiting Arrival.

So, I'm waiting for the release of the new Sony T500 slim 10.1MP camera, which arrives on or around October 1st, this year.  Why not wait for the T700?  Same specs, except the T500 incorporates 720p HD video recording with Dolby Stereo as well, in which I am very pleased.

I needed an upgrade to my T5, something with more power and features, yet with the same great Zeiss macro lens, and here it is.

"This 10MP ultra-compact camera with a 3.5" touch panel LCD and 5x optical zoom can create 720p HD movie clips at 30fps. It also features a dual photo and video capture mode which lets one take still images while recording a video, with no interruption. Other features include Face Detection and optical Image stabilization." -DPReview.com

Update - Oct 1st - I bought it yesterday, in black, should be here either by Saturday or Monday.

Crysis WARHEAD

The sequel to the Game of the Year 2007 and the (in my opinion) best FPS to date.  For me, this sequel just...appeared without warning, and I was surprised at how quite the debut day was.  And then, there was the pricetag.  I put 5 bucks down to reserve it and the total came out to $30, which is, to say the least, underpriced for a game of this "caliber".  Delighted, I was.

100% Intstalled, as of now.  I'll post later with gameplay pix, and reviews on how I percieve it to be, to see if it lives up to it's predecessor.

...Instinct.

As the cliche goes, "go with your first instinct", I believe I may finally go with it this time.  All my life I've had so many instances where I regretted neglecting my first instinct.

My instinct and mind are independent things.

There are two instances with countereffects between Fruition and Failure:

Instinct>>>>Complementary Action = Fruition

Instinct>>>>Thought Process>>>>Delay/Doubt>>>>No Action/Clouded Reaction = Possible Failure

It's simple to look and see on paper that the first option is generally the best, but when faced with real-life situations, applying this concept becomes more difficult than one would think.

Out on a limb, with faith, and God guiding me; that is where He wants me.  Full trust.  And I believe, that first instinct comes from God, and all that follow are from your clouded consciousness.

Throwback.

http://xfphotography.blogspot.com/

go there. now.

But before you do, chill for a while and allow me to entertain you with some of my fun films from college.  they're all basically PG, with the exception of one brief PG-13 scene in "Unkut".

A New Beginning.

Well, I finally bought my first SLR. A Sony Alpha (a300k) and took some shots today(nite) and had some novice fun. :) Maybe I'll stick with it, maybe I'll go for the 14MP A350 or Canon's 450D XSi, cannot make that decision yet.

I bought the 300mm Sony lens while I was there, and got it for a steal. Also picked up the ultrafast Sandisk Extreme III 4GB CF card, heard it was the best, so I gave it a whirl.

This'll be fun to figure out. So, I took 101 pix tonite, messin' 'round with everything before I read the manual. :P

This could be a good thing. Hopefully, I can sell my prints.

I was quite pleased with the moon shots I can get now. :) Zoom is good.

Back to Skools..

Today, I start my 3rd semester a mi colegio. So, this should be "nice", considering it's thursday and i have no class till monday after today. wa-hoodles.

-sorry for not posting since, what, July?, I was...busy, lol-

In other news, this past Saturday, the big music event- Revelation Generation- happened...and I was there, along with my wonderful nueva familia.

Newsboys

Maximus.

Maximus

I had this "great" idea on my time off, and decided to do another "knock-off" photo. Well, I can't say my results are perfect, but they were satisfying. I had to custom-design the font, because there was no way I was paying 25 bucks just for the original font. So, I made my own. :]


I never saw the film Scarface, but that infamous front cover is something I couldn't forget.

Scarface

The Incredible Hulk

Edward Norton definitely seemed to pull it off better than the previous Hulk's Eric Bana, from the critically demolished Hulk of 2003. But, just like the last Hulk, this one left us hanging (by a moment) and it left me thinking, "Not again!"

Excellent cinematography, and the CG was better this time around. It was missing Jennifer Connelly, that's for sure, but overall, the film was composed quite well. With the same cameos including Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno, plus at the end an added bonus, which you will find out.

By the way, there's no after-credits scene, I made sure.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content

Got it on DVD.

7.2/10

Hancock

Hancock (7/02/08)

Hmm. Not the typical Will Smith movie, but it certainly has his full-effect true Smith character in it. I certainly enjoyed it though, even though the story seemed somewhat repetative, and it was slightly short running just over 1.5 hours.

It was certainly a great day off to see it though, with my buddy (Update: my woman as of July 17th) out here in Jersey. There are some great films out in theaters now.

Surprise, Charlize Theron!

She's all like SHAZAAM!

yeah, it upped my rating. ;)

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language

6.5/10

PreRelease Commentary 4

Leatherheads, starring George Clooney and Renee Zellweger kicks off as a classic comedy about the early forms of pro football. Mixed with the quick wittiness of Clooney and the equally sly Zellweger, Leatherheads boasts loads of laughter and eyebrow-raising talent.

George Clooney is the man. I mean, this guy has the sly-est talent and witty humor that carries on to every film he makes. And yes, Clooney directed this one, and even if you didn't know that, if you're familiar with Clooney, you'll know anyway. Like Clint Eastwood, who acted then directed as well, George has definitely hit the bullseye with this film. It's entirely enjoyable to watch and laugh with.

I screened this just tonite, after watching part of August and completely choosing this over it, since the movie was going nowhere. The only thing August had was Josh Hartnett, big deal. I've seen it before, where they make some story then stick one or two big timers in it to sell it, but if the story sucks, then it looks bad on the actors/actresses rep. Nope, everything stayed the same with Hartnett. All I can think of is Pearl Harbor. Nuff said.

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

7.9/10

Autography

Copyright, lol, by Ryan Maximus Corneliusen. 2008

The Happening

M. Night Shyamalan's mind just totally "jukes" mine whenever I watch a film of his.

The Happening, came out in theaters this past Friday (the 13th). I screened it just tonight, and for an 80min (91 total) film, it felt more like a 110min film because of the interest it sparked in me.

The film starts off with an especially disturbing/sparking event that instantly grabs your attention, Ten Hut!, and now you need to see the rest. It kept me on the edge of my seat, it reminded me of the film, The Core. It was easy to watch this with the slick Mark Whalberg as main role; he definitely took charge, but also displayed a softer sounding side as opposed to the "sharp" Shooter.

Basically, without revealing too much, people start acting weird, I mean really weird, and then do even weirder things, and all because of the "wind" that spreads across the northeast.....e.g. My area, PA, NJ, & NY. This is the second film in the past few days I've viewed that takes place in my tri-state area.

Rated R for violent & disturbing images.

very disturbing images.

7.2/10

PreRelease Commentary 3

Drillbit Taylor. A Sandlot-ish comedy with Owen Wilson where high school freshmen hire a homeless desperate bodyguard [Wilson] to protect them from a psychotic bully who is seemingly above the law.

Fresh after watching Be Kind Rewind, I was in the B-rated-movie-mode, so I was all warmed up for this one. It's surprising, and has it's relatable funny moments, with Wilson and his typical performance and devilish good looks. (he inherited my advice, I see ;)

There are definitely engaging parts in the film where you'll be gripping your seat, sensing the way it seems it used to be, having flashbacks being in that position. Beware. I never had a bully, except the whole school on my back, but no one that stood out entirely, but it did make me revisit my high school days. Didn't like that.

That uneasy feeling will come up alot in this movie...even if you watch it alone.

PG-13 for language, crude humor, and crude slanguage.

6.5/10

PreRelease Commentary 2

After Kung Fu Panda, I felt like watching something more towards my heart. And I viewed the already classic Be Kind Rewind with Jack Black, Mos Def, and Danny Glover.

I quickly found out that this film takes place in Passaic County in my homestate of New Jersey, so I was instantly pleased and interested in watching the rest of the film, now reinforced by my curiosity.

Although the film seems to have an odd "flavor" to it, the more you watch, the more you feel connected to it, and by the end, everything feels sealed and complete.

The film debuted in theaters on January 25th, 2008, at which time I spent watching Rambo instead. The DVD is due to release in a week or so....commercially.

7.2/10

PreRelease Commentary 1

So, I watched (screened) Kung Fu Panda tonight, and found it to be quite entertaining. It's funny, engaging, and vibrant. As I watched it, I thought, "Wow, sweet fight scenes"....and this is an animated kid flick. But, Dreamworks pulled it off, and managed to get some intense fight scenes revolving completely and fluently around the martial arts film scene in animated form.

Likened as a Matrix/Every-good-martial-arts-movie kind of film, Kung Fu Panda is well worth the ticket at the theater.

8.0/10

Ah, Much Better.

Alright, so after giving the battery a full 5-hour charge at work, I came home and hooked 'er up. It seems all I had to do was give the mag a little smack and the bb's load just fine. :) Man, this thing shoots fast and hard. (high RPM and FPS) I tested it, prone from the living room to the kitchen hitting suspicious lemons and quad-fold aluminum foil. I adjusted the rear sight's elevation so we are very accurate at 30ft.

Tomorrow, I'll take her outside for a field test (literally), and we'll see the distance on this thing

350-380 FPS

1000RPM

Maybe after tomorrow, I'll decide what type of scope to put on it (red dot or rifle) and bipod, and then some upgrades (M120 spring + hi-output NiMh batt)

We'll see.

My first AEG is turning out to satisfy quite nicely. :)

[can't wait to get into a game]

G&G M14 First Glance

So, I recieved my G&G M14 today. The box was long, and decent weight. I opened it, to find a beautiful black M14 with nice trademarks engraved in the metal reciever. The first thing I noticed, though, was the plastic part (barrel cover)...which, to say the least, disappointed me.

The weight, and loads of metal parts outweighed that problem. It honestly feels incredible to lock and load this thing.

It barely, but perfectly, fits into my 48" rifle bag.
All metal hi-cap mag.

Hmm, i gave it a quick charge to figure it out and get it working, but I couldn't seem to get the bb's to load....

Darth Nader for Prez.

This election is a load of crap. I've never seen or heard of worse. It really makes history.

First African American & woman battling it out.

Never will you find me voting for O(s)bama or that friggin' woman who got totally owned a decade ago... No, sir, I don't like this kinda crap.

Nader actually has a chance this time.

And I know who will win, but this is total crap and I'd actually like to see Nader win, and see what he does, since he's been running forever and should have a heckofa lot of ideas by now.

Just accept the fact that Norris always wins in the end, so just stop resisting and succumb to the undeniable power of Chuck Norris.

The Revolution has begun

Yep, I finally got(ordered) my first primary airsoft gun.

A G&G M14.

Why M14? Because I like rifles; the Garand, M14, M21, M24, but I'm not too big on assault rifles....unless it's an M14.

The M14 is the perfect hybrid between a sniper rifle and an assault rifle.

Shooting 350-380FPS stock, so it's not too bad, but the point is that it has great internals and is able to be upgraded.

The features are as follows:

-G&G Full Metal Aluminum Receiver.

-G&G Zinc Full metal and fully upgradeable reinforced gearbox.

-Built in precision tight bore barrel for maximum accuracy. Superb accuracy.

-G&G Steel high power full metal gear sets. (Newest version)

-Fully tuned up and upgraded internal.

-Uses all G&G / Classic Army compatible M14 series magazine and drum magazine.

-G&G 25000 rpm High torque G&G ultra power motor.

-G&G Metal Bushing

-G&G High seal full metal hopup chamber.

-G&G Nylon/Fiber Reinforced Piston.

This thing spits bb's out at a ridiculous 1,000RPM!

This'll be my project when I'm not at work.

One thing at a time, next week I'll prob pick up a scope and mid-cap mag.

Until next time..

Flame On!

Man, Far Cry 2 is gonna be so tight. It takes place in Africa, the safari part, and I see this image...and all I can think is, "You drop a match in Africa, and now we know what caused global warming....and I see a flamethrower, what now?"

This Fall, things are gonna burn.

In other news:

I just got the new Iron Man game, for kicks, and the small (2.3gb) filesize.
So, if the installer can ever get past DirectX 9c installation, maybe we can see what this game is like. (it sucked completely, goodbye Iron Man.)

8 Tracks

It's time to get of the old 8 Track Player.
Stereo Recording! Radical!

MGS: Philanthropy Trailer 2

Metal Gear Solid - Philanthropy Trailer 2 from Hive Division on Vimeo.

MGS: Philanthropy Trailer One

Metal Gear Solid - Philanthropy Next Gen Trailer from Hive Division on Vimeo.

Airsoft Will Be Revived

Yes, tis true, I will make sure that by the end of the year...there will be some sort of airsoft organization/group out here on the East Coast. I just need to find some people around here that are enthusiastic enough to spend a little money to have a lot of fun. "How hard could it be?" Right.

Well, the next in the armory, for the end of this year will be this bad full metal Echo 1 M14 RIS shown below.

Features:

• Full metal frame, stock, receiver and barrel.
• 4 position collapsible stock with rubber butt pad and height adjustable cheek piece.
• Functional rotating bolt. This is strictly cosmetic but still fun to play with.
• Fully adjustable rear peep sight functions just like the real one.
• Removable front sight is also adjustable for windage.
• Metal RIS system with three 3.75 inch rails and one 10.75 inch rail.

Included with the rifle are two 300 rd high capacity magazines, tactical 3 point sling, custom 9.6v 1500mah NiCad battery pack and 300mah trickle charger.

Operation: Electric
Fire mode/s: Semi / Full Auto
Muzzle velocity: 315 fps w/ .2g
Effective range: 150 feet
Rate of fire: 950 RPM
Ammo type: High polished .2g - .25g
Hop Up: Adjustable
Weight: 12 lbs
Magazine capacity: 300 rds
Locking slide: No
Open ejection port: No
Length: 35.25 – 39 inches

I'm basically fanatical about it because it's full metal (12 pounds!) and pretty bad lookin' with a not so bad price tag. And, I keep hearing how Echo 1 is really giving the high end companies a run for their money, so I wanna try one out.