Skullcandy Titan Review

The Skullcandy Titan is a a pair of earbuds that retails for $39.99.  Skullcandy is a name to know in the audio business.  They have produced decent audio products for sometime, and they are starting to become the next Bose of headphones.  As such, the Titan, a mid-level pair of earbuds, is not something to be scoffed at. 

The Titan has a rich sound for a mid-level pair of earbuds which is likely due to the 11mm drivers which power them (10mm is standard).  The bass is also relatively impressive, but seems to cause a tintiness that is not uncommon among earbuds.  This is slightly annoying considering the $39.99 pricetag, but the quality of the earbuds remains good nonetheless.  The earbuds also feature a great deal of noise-cancellation which works extraordinarily well if you are planning on flying or taking public transportation.

If you are looking for a solid pair of earbuds, and you absolutely have to have noise cancellation, look no further than the Skullcandy Titan.  Otherwise, consider your options carefully.  The Skullcandy Titan may not be a bad option, but its $39.99 pricetag and its mid-line flaws, should encourage you to look elsewhere before purchasing the Titan.

Elder of Scrolls V: Skyrim (1 Month Away)

Skyrim, the next sequel in the Elder of Scrolls series, will be released in about one months time.  I have been keeping track of some of the features which have been announced.  So far, it appears that Skyrim will feature:

-A similar massive enviornment to Oblivion and Morrowind
-A full-3d-rendered world-map.
-Dual spell casting and weapon wielding
–Two of the same spells will summon a greater version of the spell.
–Some spells can cause weather pattern changes (confirmed with Storm Call in the Gameplay Demo by Bethesda)
—Some of the more powerful spells (like Storm Call) will require Dragon Souls to cast
-Over 70 voice actors (Oblivion only had only 20-30)
-A ton of content.  The game is guaranteed to be longer than Oblivion.  (Accurate time-figures have not been confirmed, but the side quests have been placed at a “few hundred hours” of gameplay)

In addition to the new features which Bethesda has been showing-off, the game engine for Skyrim is beautiful.  The lighting is particularly good, and the huge rendering distances are even more impressive than those in Oblivion.  Bethesda have mastered the “level of detail” so that high levels of detail are only rendered up close, and low levels of detail are rendered at a distance since the objects can not be seen easily.

But don’t take my word for it, checkout some of the previews online, and do not forget to watch the official gameplay demos by Bethesda.  You can find their first official three part demo on the Skyrim website.

Skyrim can now be preordered on steam.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Jedi Knight Outcast was one of the few Star Wars games that really did a first person shooter “well.”  It combined force powers and lightsaber fights, without feeling as clunky as its predecessor, or as scripted as the later Forced Unleashed games.  It balanced its weapons well: sure a lightsaber could be used to deflect incoming laser blasts and was an all around “good weapon,” but some situations simply called for a good blaster, or a handy thermal detonator, and Outcast did its best to encourage the use of all its weapons.

But if Jedi Outcast was simply a good first person shooter, it would never have been popular.  Star Wars has always been about story, and the story in Outcast was superb.  The player could play as Kyle Katarn, the rebel hero of Dark Forces I and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight.  The plot begins shortly after Kyle had given up his jedi-power back to the Valley of the Jedi, and throughout the game, Kyle rediscovers his Jedi roots in an effort to stop Desann, a dark Jedi, who continually annoys Katarn by illuding him and capturing someone very special to him.  Although the plot in Outcast may not have been deep, it was a fully developed plot for a first person shooter.  The supporting character animations and cinematic sequences, developed using the Quake 3 Engine, made Outcast one of the best games of its time.

Jedi Outcast also provided a surpsingly addictive multiplayer, a multiplayer mode which allowed for incredible lightsaber duels and battles.  The quality of the lightsaber and force-power play remains one of the best features of Outcast multiplayer to this day.  But don’t let that fool you, trip mines, rocket launchers, and heavy repeaters still add some fun to the game.

Given that Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was a top-grade Star Wars first person shooter, it is still a game worth playing.  The story still remains complex, even when compared with modern video games, the maps are still large, and the music, as with all Star Wars games, will never be paralleled.  Best of all, it is on Steam!  (I encourage you to buy the pack, as the prequels are at least as good)

At the time of release:

Graphics: 9
Music/Sound: 10
Story: 10
Multiplayer: 8
Replayability: 9
Total: 46
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Score: 9.2
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Gamerankings: 86.8

NK2Edit

Anyone who has ever worked with Outlook knows that the cached .NK2 contacts file is one of the most support-intensive and annoying files associated with Outlook.  NK2 files store cached contacts that are useful to the user, but they can be terrible to admins who findout that their employees are still sending emails to an old address because they are relying on cached contacts.  Even from a Desktop Support/Help Desk perspective, cached contacts are annoying to locate and manage. Because cached contacts are not backed up by exchange, they are also dangerous to rely on.  Given the mystery and proprietary nature of cached contacts, I was surprised to find out that there is an inexpensive tool that allows you to edit the cached contacts file.  This is great for exchange administrators who are sick of hearing that a user’s address has not changed (when it has), and it is great for Desktop Support groups who can actually check the addresses in the cached contacts list that users are sending emails to.

The tool I have been using to edit cached contacts is called NK2Edit.  The interface is as simple and self-explanitory as the name of the application.  The file can be downloaded below.  Please keep in mind that you must purchase licensing if the product is used for business use. It is only free for personal use.  Please be sure to read their terms, and please know that we do not control this program nor are we affiliated with the company.  Anything downloaded from this site should be done so at your own risk.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_nk2_edit.html

Razer Megladon Review

The Razer Megladon is a simulated 7.1 surround sound gaming headset, and with a price tag of $149.99, it is one of the most expensive gaming headsets around.  Given the price tag, you might expect that the simulated 7.1 surround would work well, but it is the worst surround sound  I have ever experienced.  Because the surround is simulated, the headset must use a USB interface and the OS must have the appropriate drivers.  Luckily, Windows 7 and Ubuntu recognize the headset as a 7.1 surround sound device, and they appear to have drivers, but the surround sound sounds like audio echoed through a large cathedral.  In certain games (like Battlefield Bad Company 2) the Megladon provides a better directional sense than traditional 2.1 headsets,  but the quality of the audio seems to suffer. 

In traditional 2.1 mode, the Megladon is a very decent sounding headset, but it is not worth $149.99 without surround.  The microphone on the headset never seems to work properly, and there is always static “wind” noise whenever audio is recorded through it.  Many individuals have complained about static on the microphone, and Razer’s forums are filled with posts from irrate customers, but Razer has found a way to blame everything on computer settings,  64 bit compatibility issues, and driver problems.  Their fix-all solution is to run a firmware update, but the firmware update does not appear to do anything.  I have never seen a single customer reply that claimed this resolved the issue with the microphone.  I am not certain everyone will suffer from these microphone issues, but it is obviously not a random defect with my headset given the number of complaints online.

The surround sound and microphone may be devastating to the practicality of the product, but the Megladon makes up for its faulty inner-workings by showing off some great exterior design.  As with all Razer products, the look of the packaging alone is worthy of artistic legend, and the case and headset’s appearence are no less legendary.  The physical design of the headset is grand: there is a micro fiber like cloth that surrounds the ear, a solid but flexible plastic/cloth/fabric frame, and metal slides for the speakers of the headset which protects one of the more annoying breakable-zones of a headset.  The microphone looks like it is a solid piece, but it is actually a soft plastic that can be bent into the appropriate position near the mouth.  The controller-box, which allows volume adjustment, also allows: channels to be adjusted, adjustment of volumes of specific channels, mutes, and microphone sensitivity levels.  It is all done using a wheel that feels much like the wheel on the original IPods.  Given the braided cabling, and an amazingly solid and beautiful case, Razer could not have done better to disguise the dieing internal workings of the headphones with a luxurious coffin.

Given the quality of the Megladon, the additional features like the click volume control box and braided cable, and the overall comfort of the product, the Megladon is definitely worth something, but in light of recent issues with the microphone, bugs with the drivers, and the disappointing 7.1 surround sound experience, I would stay far away from the Megladon, particularly the $149.99 retail cost.  Instead, look for Megladon’s working 2.1 brother, the Razer Carcharias, and save yourself 60-70 dollars. 

Bastion Review

Every now and again, a game comes along that does everything differently, and Bastion is certainly one of those games.  From the very start, the game’s world comes to life as blocks of 2d art that assemble around the player. A narrator begins telling the tale of the “calamity,” the basis for the games plot, and with every move of the character, the narrator makes comments in real time.  When the keyboard is used to “wake” the character, the narrator will respond “He gets Up”  If you destroy boxes and collect as many items as possible, the narrator will respond “And he goes crazy for a while…”  These minor trigger-based commentaries, and commenatries like these, fill the gaps between the primary commentary which plays while the character moves from location to location.  The overall feel of the commentary and world assembling art makes the game worth its cost.

Aside from the art and narration, the game’s music is a unique blend of synth, and various cultural music.  At times it feels like music from a quirky old western and at other times it feels like music from the middle east.  The variety of styles complements the very different worlds which the player must traverse.  From structures, to forests, to icey lands, there seems to be a musical theme for each enviornment.

Even without the unique visiuals, sound, and music, the gameplay could still stand on its own.   The feel of the gameplay is like any other action/adventure 2d-game, but what makes it different is the ability to purchase items, upgrade items, and complete challenges to earn materials for future upgrades.  Additionally, the use of Idols allows the player to optionally increase the games difficulty at a benefit to score bonuses.  The ability to earn higher scores fuels the use of Bastion as an arcarde game as well as a traditional action/adventure game.  It it is possible to keep items should you decide to play through it a second time, allowing you to score even higher points on the second, third, or fourth run-through.  This blend of purchases, upgrades, and idols increases the replayability of the game.

As for the overall plot of Bastion, it can be confusing at times, and it can be a bit slow, but the threads of the story weave themself together, and you will find yourself wishing the game will never end.