Mass Effect, video review

Mass Effect este un RPG care s-a lansat in intreaga Europa in 6 iunie 2008. Jocul are puternice aspecte de space opera, iar povestea il poarta pe jucator de-a lungul si de-a latul intregii galaxii. In universul din Mass Effect, omenirea este nou sosita in chestiunile care privesc comunitatea galactica si, ca nou veniti, oamenii sunt inca priviti ca o rasa slab dezvoltata si cu pretentii cam mari. Pana in anul 2183 omenirea a dobandit abilitatea de a calatori prin galaxie la viteze superluminice, ceea ce a adus-o in contact cu mai multe rase extraterestre.

Acum incearca din greu sa isi gaseasca locul in marea comunitate galactica. Expansiunea rasei umane in galaxie a fost posibila multumita descoperirii unei instalatii extraterestre (Mass Effect relay), care a permis saltul la distante de sute si mii de ani lumina. Tehnologia axata pe Mass Effect a ajuns sa fie utilizata si in domeniul armelor si al scuturilor personale. Principiile Mass Effect sunt descrise pe larg in enciclopedia jocului, alaturi de orice ti-ai putea dori sa afli despre universul din joc.

Personajul principal este commander Shepard, care poate fi ales de jucator in varianta oferita de producatori, sau poate fi personalizat. Indiferent de alegerea facuta, jucatorul va parcurge aceeasi poveste. Shepard prezinta prima si ultima linie de aparare a omenirii impotriva unui pericol la nivel galactic, ce ameninta nu doar soarta speciei umane, ci si intregul univers.

Personajul principal poate fi nascut pe Pamant, pe o colonie umana sau in spatiu. Alegerea originii lui Shepard va influenta modul in care vor reactiona celelalte personaje in timpul jocului fata de tine. Jucatorul poate alege si un profil psihologic pentru Shepard, care poate fi ruthless, war hero sau sole survivor, din nou cu impact asupra gameplay-ului.

Pe scurt, Shepard se trezeste in mijlocul unei situatii critice. Un Specter, agent guvernamental cu puteri nelimitate, pune la cale un plan de a supune galaxia unei puteri malefice - o forta nimicitoare al carei singur scop este dominatia absoluta a anorganicului si distrugerea tuturor speciilor organice evoluate din univers. Shepard aspira la statutul de Specter, pe care il obtine si devine prima fiinta umana care detine asemenea rang in galaxie. De aici, povestea adopta un arc lung al naratiunii, care aduce o multime de personaje si quest-uri secundare, explorare, dezvoltarea skill-urilor si multa lupta.

Sursa: Hit.ro

Muppets July 4th Viral Video

Muppets’ July 4th Viral Video

The Pitch: Have no idea where this comes from, or who created it, but once I saw it I knew that we needed to post this second Video of the Day on July 4th. “I, Sam the Eagle, present a musical salute to America.”

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Video of the Day is a daily feature of /Film showcasing geekarific video creations.

Hancock is a Ssssmash (or is it?): So What Did You Think?

Since Tuesday, Hancock has grossed over $40 million domestically and is on track to stack $100 million plus by wke’s end. While early word from critics and geeks is decidedly mixed, that’s a lot of moolah for Will Smith, director Peter Berg (his first major hit), and Sony. Or is it? How puzzling that Nikke Finke says there are serious doubts circling inside the studio regarding Hancock’s franchise potential—she even compares the film’s buzz to Wild Wild West. Jab, Hook, Jab. With a reported budget of $150 million, Jeff Wells cries Feh if the film grosses $90 mill or less by Sunday. Diddy swooned and probably received a nice paycheck.

My take: the stampede of flip-flops after the holiday will remain steady, less steady than I Am Legend, which received similar “third act was wack” laments, but so what? Will Smith’s “coasting” will outperform the equally pricey The Incredible Hulk. And judging from early viewer comments below, “light fun” beats out-and-out hate.

Discuss: So, what did you think? In a summer of superlative superhero outings, where does Will Smith’s gravity-defying, comic-less street gruff fall? What did you make of the twisteroo that’s drawing steely comparisons to the guy who made The Happening? Would the film have been cooler if it was freed up by an R-rating as originally envisioned and marked by the MPAA—click here to read Vincent Ngo’s leaked screenplay forTonight, He Comes. Was the 92-minute running time too short? Was the editing botched? Is a sequel warranted? What of the performances of Smith and Charlize Theron? Does the Hancock storyline/concept cancel out “Demon in a Bottle” for Iron Man 2 as some have prematurely suggested in the preceding weeks? Worth seeing in a theater?

Nvidia ieftineste deja GTX280?

Pare-se ca pentru Nvidia, pana mai ieri lider de neconstestat, se amplifica, pe langa problema defectiunilor anuntata ieri, mai nou au probleme din cauza seriei 4800 de la ATI-AMD, care este foarte puternica dar la mult mai putini bani.

Ca raspuns la aceasta situatie, Nvidia va fixa pretul lui GTX 280 la 499 de dolari ( fata de pretul initial de 649 de dolari), si asa ar ajunge exact la nivelul de pret al seriei 4800 dar la o performanta superioara.
Oricum, acestea sunt aflate de la cativa colaboratori ai Nvidia in productia de placi video, insa deocamdata mai trebuie sa asteptam cateva saptamani pentru a afla oficial pretul final pentru GTX 280.

Sursa: Hothardware

Star Wars USB Hubs

Right now if I need to print something out or scan a document I need to switch the usb cords currently connected to my computer. Truth is, I need a USB hub. But why get any old boring USB hub when you can buy one that is in the form of R2D2 or Darth Vader? The good news is that George Lucas is releasing Darth Vader and R2D2 shaped USB hubs later this month for $66. The bad news is you’ll have to import them. Click the photo above to enlarge. You can also watch the video below of the R2D2 USB hub in action.

Hellboy Public Service Announcement

Hellboy Cat PSA

The Pitch: Hellboy does a public service announcement with his cat.

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Video of the Day is a daily feature of /Film showcasing geekarific video creations.

Real Life Hancock?

Our friends at MovieMoron bring us today’s edition of LOL: a photo of a real life Hancock. And before you ask, I’m pretty sure this real life Hancock doesn’t actually have any super powers.

Se ieftineste WoW Burning Crusade

Best Distribution a anuntat astazi ca va reduce cu 20 de lei, incepand de vineri, 4 iulie 2008, pretul expansion pack-lui World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade de la 79,9 lei la 59,9 lei, precum si al pachetului oficial World of Warcraft Battle Chest, de la 129,9 lei la 109,9 lei. WoW Battle Chest contine WoW (jocul-baza) + WoW: The Burning Crusade + doua ghiduri oficiale de strategie.

Jocul-baza World of Warcraft (cutie Alliance) ramane la pretul de 49,9 lei, iar World of Warcraft 60-Day Pre-Paid Game Card are pretul de 109,9 lei. Toate produsele din familia World of Warcraft pot fi achizitionate din magazinele de specialitate din intreaga tara.

"Suntem incantati sa anuntam aceste reduceri importante de pret. Ieftinirea acestor doua produse World of Warcraft, de importanta majora pentru piata de jocuri video din Romania, vine din fericire in contrast cu valul de scumpiri care ne afecteaza pe toti in aceasta perioada. O reducere de pret este binevenita in special acum si sunt convinsa ca astfel comunitatea de gaming din tara se va putea bucura in continuare de cel mai bun produs Blizzard din ultimii ani. World of Warcraft ramane astfel lider pe segmentul MMORPG, mai ales daca luam in considerare mult asteptata lansare a celui de-al doilea expansion pack - WoW: Wrath of the Lich King", a declarat directorul general Best Distribution, Andreea Allardin.

Best Distribution distribuie oficial jocurile Blizzard / Vivendi Games in Romania, atat produsele de strategie (seriile Warcraft si StarCraft), cat si action-RPG-ul Diablo II si expansion-ul Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. World of Warcraft a fost lansat in Romania in 2005, iar in ianuarie 2007 a fost lansat World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. Pana in acest moment, conform cifrelor oferite de Blizzard Entertainment, in Romania exista peste 25.000 de jucatori activi de World of Warcraft.

Sursa: Best Distribution

Microsoft închide prăvălia cu Windows XP

Marile companii şi retailerii nu mai pot achiziţiona licenţe de Windows XP, ca urmare a deciziei board-ului director al corporaţiei.

Microsoft a luat această hotărâre în ciuda protestelor mai multor utilizatori de Windows XP care refuză să folosească versiunea Vista a sistemului de operare.

Odată expirate licenţele deja contractate de către furnizorii de computere (Dell, Hewlett-Packard ş.a.m.d.), consumatorii care preferă Windows XP vor fi nevoiţi să îşi achiziţioneze Vista Ultimate sau Vista Business şi să efectueze un downgrade legal, dacă doresc să păstreze ediţia XP.

Microsoft a anunţat că va efectua o serie de reduceri substanţiale pentru licenţele de Windows XP destinate computerelor ieftine de tip Asus Eee PC.

Ca urmare a deciziei corporaţiei, un grup de utilizatori fideli s-au mobilizat şi au redactat o petiţie pe care au postat-o pe site-ul InfoWorld.

Ţidula electronică solicită Microsoft să continue vânzarea de licenţe XP măcar până la lansarea noului sistem de operare, Windows 7.

Reprezentanţii corporaţiei pregătesc lansarea celui mai nou produs al acesteia anul viitor. Până atunci, Microsoft a anunţat că va răspunde tuturor solicitărilor legate de Windows XP până în 2009. Operatorii vor continua să acorde asistenţă, limitată însă, până în 2014.

Conform CBC Canada, până la sfârşitul lunii iunie, peste 200.000 de persoane au semnat petiţia de susţinere a Windows XP, denumită sugestiv “Salvaţi XP”.

Sursa: Cotidianul

9 Photos from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

USA Today has released a new batch of photos from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Warner Bros has sent us high resolution versions of the photos, which you can check out below. As always, click to enlarge. The article also hints that the upcoming films might stray a little from the books. The idea presented is that the book series is already complete, and everyone (even many of those who didn’t read the final book) already knows how everything ends. So the films will take on different focuses than you might be expecting. I’s guessing that it won’t be anything too drastically different, but it sure will be interesting.

And the last two photos come from MSN Cine, via Blogwartz

The Day the Earth Stood Still Movie Trailer

“My name is Klaatu Reeves and I have come to Earth to warn you of Hancock.” The first trailer for December’s big budget remake of 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still is now online after premiering in front of Will Smith’s ne’er-do-well superhero flick. Under an icy blue tint, the preview quickly evokes Close Encounters, The Abyss, Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, Contact and Langoliers before closing in on the modern green message, an aspect that Keanu Reeves has mentioned briefly in the press….

“The version I was just working on, instead of being man against man, it’s more about man against nature. My Klaatu says that if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth.”

The special effects by Weta Digital—the emphasis here is on a large alien orb and apocalyptic destruction—seem crisp and foreboding enough. Glimpses of a cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (his first major movie role) and Kathy Bates, give the impression that director Scott Derrickson (Exorcism of Emily Rose) may have crafted a classier Day After Tomorrow. If so, that would slightly exceed most fanboys’ early expectations for the film. Alas, do you see Gort? Check out the comments.

Watch the trailer in high resolution on filmweb.no.

Synopsis: Updating the 1951 sci-fi classic’s Cold War and religious themes, Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, a mysterious man from another world who warns Earth’s humans that unless they change their gluttonous and harmful ways and pay more attention to the planet’s needs, aliens will swoop down and destroy them for good. :0

The Day the Earth Stood Still opens on December 12th.

Discuss: What do you think of the trailer to The Day the Earth Stood Still? Does it appear to be what you expected? Will Reeves make a Klaatu for the ages? Also, Gort fans, chime in.

New Photos: Cirque Du Freak, The Wolfman, Green Zone

The new issue of Empire Magazine has a few new photos from upcoming fall/winter films. First up is a photo of John C. Reilly as a vampire in Paul Weitz’s Cirque Du Freak. Based on the first three novels by Darren O’Shaughnessy, Cirque Du Freak tells the story of a 14-year-old boy named Darren Shan (Chris Kelly) who visits a travelling freak show. At the show he meets a mysterious man who turns out to be a vampire, and Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the show. Cirque Du Freak currently doesn’t have a U.S. release date, but it is hitting theaters in February 2009 in international territories, so expect it around then. I’m really digging Reilly’s look as a vamp. Click on the image to see the whole thing in full resolution on EmpireOnline.com.

Next up is the first official photo of Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and a non-wolfie Benicio Del Toro in Joe Johnston’s period adaptation of The Wolfman, which hits theaters on April 3rd 2009.

Next is the first official production photo of Matt Damon in Paul Greengrass’ Green Zone. Basically, its the same thing we saw from the set photos a few months back. Based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran book (Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone), Paul Greengrass’ Green Zone stars Matt Damon as a CIA officer on the hunt for traces of WMDs. Green Zone is scheduled to hit theaters in 2009.

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