Dying Machine

My current PC just turned 5 years old this month, and that's old in computer standards. I've upgraded its video card once and put additional memory. So it still has enough push to run today's games. However, running S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and BioShock, graphic whoring games that they are, makes my machine cough blood. It's quite apparent that I won't be able to run games on my PC soon enough, most probably by next year. Besides the graphics, my hard drive is also getting choked up by music, anime, and pr0n files.

The hard drive problem has a simple solution: cheap external hard drive. But my gaming needs, however, won't come easy. I'm still using AGP cards and I really need to experience PCI express. So I may have to upgrade my motherboard, and other components, as well. I could still do a component by component upgrade but it'll be harder and more expensive for me since I don't know how to do it myself. So I've decided that my PC, unfortunately, needs to retire and step down from its "main gaming rig" pedestal.

I don't have any idea on what to get right now though. I guess I'll just save first (maybe around $2,000) and then decide later.

Butterflies and Hurricanes

The storm last Thursday disrupted Comcast's operations and left me without internet access at home (same goes for cable and phone). The storm was really strong and caused a lot of damages in the Chicagoland area. Although I didn't felt the storm's full intensity since I was at work, safe inside a huge hospital building. I only knew it was really raining hard and that the lightning kept splitting the dark skies that night.

While the storm was really whipping up some chaos outside the hospital, there's some good that came out of it -at least for me. People who were supposed to go home didn't leave the hospital because they were scared of being caught in maelstrom outside, my crush included. She's a medical student and she's very beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She's has a crappy brown hair (dry and full split ends) and dresses badly sometimes, which just shows that she don't care, but she'd still look like a million bucks. With her hovering around me, anxious to leave the hospital, I just felt butterflies in my stomach (yeah, I know, it's cheesy).

First Impressions: BioShock

I was able to spend two hours playing BioShock, and all I can say is wow! The game setting, a 1950's-60's dystopia, is probably the best I've seen since Arcanum. It's also evident that game's atmosphere was largely inspired by the works of the author Ayn Rand. Even the founder of Rapture, the undersea dystopia, Andrew Ryan, shares the same initial with Ayn Rand (A.R.).

Shock and wrench combo.

As for the gameplay, BioShock is really the spiritual successor of System Shock. It's a First-Person Shooter with RPG customization. Both plays almost the same way except that the body upgrades in System Shock has cyberpunk elements while BioShock uses biopunk elements. Anyways, this game turns out to be more than what I expected, and it has kicked me back into my dystopian mood again.

Shock to the System

After two years of waiting, BioShock is finally released. So, right after work, I immediately rushed to the nearest Best Buy store and secured a copy. Although, I must say, I'm a bit disappointed since I only got the regular box. I was really gunning for a Collector's Edition (which includes a "Big Daddy" figurine, "Making of" DVD, and a soundtrack) but there wasn't any on the shelves. But that's ok, I can let that pass.

My copy of BioShock.

As of the game itself. It's too bad that I'm really tired from work. So I haven't had the time to play it...yet. I already installed the game though and had some problems with the SecuROM. But that's fixed now. I was also curious of my system's performance. I tried to start game at high setting, 1024 x 768 resolution, with no AA or AF, and it seems to run at a playable frame rate. It's too early to say though since I only played the intro. Well, I really need to get some power sleep now so I can play the game tomorrow night.