Snowboarding Weekend

Enjoy! It’s been snowing for 2 days straight here and I have a smile on my face

Charles Hamel

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Kamui Top

Charles Hamel

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I have decided to add the subject of Blu-Ray Movies to my website and composed this post on the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

Lets start our countdown with 10 and work our way to number one.

Curse of the Black Pearl

#10 Pirates of the Caribbean “The Curse of the Black Pearl”

The first and in my opinion the best of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is an early on Blu-ray Disc that set the bar for the quality of transfers and excellent audio. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is a must have title due to the clarity and sharpness of the image and the theater quality uncompressed PCM audio that begs you to crank up your 5.1 surround system.

In a ideal setup this movie is stunning to watch, with vistas and visuals that are as clear as they are breathtaking. The audio representation is also top notch — cannons roars, the pirates yelling and cursing as if they are all in the room with you not to mention the haunting score that envelopes you.

The best thing is that the movie is fun to watch and is the best of the series, introducing us to Jack Sparrow/Will Turner/Elizabeth Swann, and making us all wish we were seafaring pirates (anti-hero versions like Jack Sparrow and not mean, dirty ones like Barbossa).

There is a second Blu-ray filled with extras (most displayed in 480i unfortunately) such as games and activities, a movie showcase, a backstage special, a “making of” feature and a blooper reel.

The 10th top 10 must have Blu-Ray Discs.

underworld

#9 Underworld “Unrated”

I really enjoyed Underworld although it is not a great movie, it is good fun and is very watchable multiple times as the action and storyline lend it to a fun night of entertainment especially with the extras.

Underworld is a story about a war between vampires and werewolves, but the deeper message is one of a forbidden love, honor, and revenge. Kate Beckinsale is a surprising action hero in this film and really makes you believe she is an almost unstoppable immortal vampire.

The real star of the show in this package though is the video representation of this film on Blu-ray, presented in a stunning AVC encoding format (it was filmed in Super-35 and scanned in 2K resolution to digital format, then cleaned up).

The surreal blue-tinged lighting effects and incredibly crisp visuals are a treat to the eyes and the audio is full, rich, and well balanced. It is presented in uncompressed PCM 5.1 format. Underworld Unrated is an amazing Blu-ray that is still a demonstration quality title for the format.

The movie comes in at number nine in our list of 10 must have blu-ray discs.

The Fifth Element

#8 The Fifth Element (Remastered)

At the time of it’s original release, The Fifth Element was a groundbreaking film with an original take on a futuristic society that is on the brink of destruction from a malevolent entity.

The movie was a full helping of eye candy with over-the-top action and acting, and it’s still a great ride and very enjoyable to watch to this day. This remastered version is a high quality encoding from the masters and it shows in nearly every scene.

Fine details in faces, clothes, and backgrounds are very sharp and evident, black and white levels are superb, and the film grain is reproduced exactly. I would venture to say that this home version in many ways looks better than it did in the theaters years ago due to advanced displays in the home.

The audio is presented in two formats, Dolby TrueHD and uncompressed PCM 5.1 formats, both versions offer immersive and dynamic sound that will blow you away.

If you want to demo your Blu-ray setup to someone, load this in the tray and skip to the opera scene to see and hear what high definition is truly like.

Number 8 in the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

SunshineMoviePoster2_000

#7 Sunshine

Sunshine is a fairly unknown movie with a plot premise of a Sun that is decaying with a group of scientists and astronauts that need to reignite it with a bomb the size of Manhattan.

While this could have been another Day after Tomorrow the movie is very dialogue and character driven, which completely overshadows and overtakes the premise.

Sunshine is a movie that needed to be on Blu-ray — the transfer quality of this film is nothing short of striking. Both interior and exterior (space) shots are dead on with white and black levels that are perfectly balanced.

The audio on this disc is perhaps even stronger than the visuals, presented in both core DTS 5.1 and DTS HD MA formats (for the handful of people with receivers that can process the format). The sound submerges you as you watch and experience what is happening.

The audio is both subtle and heavy but always discernible, surround effects/audio are present almost throughout the movie and are incredibly effective. Sunshine is one of the first 1.1 format Blu-rays to market and utilizes the PiP feature for the extra features as well as some advanced sound mixing. This is a great movie in presentation and content with tons of extras to keep fans busy.

A definite must have for number 7 in the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

Troy

#6 Troy (Directors Cut)

Troy was a movie that was originally made to be a monstrous box office hit theatrically and critically but it failed to deliver due to the studio mandated cuts that changed this amazing R-rated film to a PG-13 release that, instead of drawing a larger audience, lost the audience it needed.

Wolfgang Peterson presents to us the way the movie was originally intended to be seen in this amazing Blu-ray release that has the cut he wanted featuring more blood, battles, and back-story to actually make you understand and love this film.

Troy, of course, is the story of Helen, the beauty who launched a thousand ships and the battle for the walls of Troy by the conqueror Agamemnon. Achilles is the action star of the film and is the central focus in this version of the tale.

Troy is a reference quality transfer, meaning it is a stunning example of what high definition movies should look like on the format. Color levels, fine detail, film grain, every aspect is crisp and almost three-dimensional. It helps that the cinematography, locales, and costume designs are top notch; the movie simply looks fantastic.

The audio is presented in uncompressed PCM 5.1 format and a Dolby Digital track; hopefully your receiver can handle the lossless format because the surround experience and general sound experience here is phenomenal and needs to be experienced as cleanly as possible. There are a number of short featurettes that go behind the scenes and are appreciated in the fact that they are all presented in 1080p. While Troy is definitely not true to the literature it borrows from it is a great movie and is a top notch Blu-ray to own coming in at number 6 on our 10 must have blu-ray discs.

MATRIX

#5 Matrix

It may be hard now to isolate The Matrix from its two lesser sequels (not to mention all the spoofs, parodies and knockoffs that have come along since), but this original mind-bending film was the very definition of cool when it came out back in 1999.

Yes, you read that right. It’s been a full decade since we first learned the answer to the question: “What is the Matrix?” In that time the film has become a bona fide classic, and with good reason. No one (not even the Wachowski brothers themselves) has been able to match its pop-culture resonance or its balance between ambitious style and engaging storytelling.

What’s nice about this edition is that you can pretend those films don’t exist and enjoy the original on its own merits. Overly ambitious sequels aside, The Matrix still holds up as an action-packed thrill ride, even if you can see every bend and loop in the track ahead.

The once groundbreaking special effects and camera tricks – like the infamous “bullet time” sequences and the freeze-frame 360-degree maneuvers – may not seem as original or startling now as they were a decade ago, but they still fit within the context of the film. It’s refreshing to see that the Wachowski brothers’ confident and distinctive visual style hasn’t lost any of its panache after all this time. And that lobby shootout is still just as awesome as ever.

A big 10 must have blu-ray discs.

5144tL9CUsL._entertainment-reviews_

#4 Spider-Man the High Definition Trilogy

I have decided to throw in the whole Spiderman  trilogy here as the Spider-Man entry to the list as it is a fantastic bundle and really showcases the evolution of the series. The original Spider-Man was a great movie and pulled us into the fantastical world of the webslinger and his discovery of his powers and epic first battles.

Spider-Man 2 showed us a more mature but troubled character and is the best movie of the series with Dr. Octopus nearly stealing the show. Spider-Man 3 ended the current trilogy with a good movie; it is the worst of the three, but still very good.

In this final chapter we have Peter facing a crisis on many fronts, his friends turn from him, new villains arise in Venom and the Sandman, and he needs to battle his dark side in the form of the black suit.

I don’t believe anyone could have done the series better justice then Sam Raimi as the director and the great cast and effects teams he led. The trilogy is truly a sight to watch in the Blu-ray format; the first film is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio while the subsequent two are framed in 2.40:1 and all look amazing.

In almost every aspect of the movies the detail, color, and depth of image are represented in a way that needs to be seen to be believed. Sony should be commended for the care they took in these transfers and they are a high water mark for action films to emulate. Audio is presented in many ways, English: PCM 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Portuguese:

Dolby Digital 5.1; all language tracks are mixed amazingly well and sound stunning. The mixing is truly the high point of the audio, sound levels are just right, and the channel usage is bang on across the board. Any of these films are a must have on Blu-ray, but the Trilogy edition is the true star. While there are minimal extras considering the trilogy aspect, the ones they have are relevant and entertaining.

Number 4 in the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

2001BluRay-thumb-330x438-29227

#3 2001 A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a groundbreaking masterpiece in films and is a classic sci-fi movie. The movie centers around two astronauts on a mission to Jupiter and their AI-driven computer HAL who controls the ship.

The movie is complex, interesting, and a true treat to watch as the astronauts discover something is wrong with HAL and try to survive the journey. This movie is Stanley Kubrick at his best and features his signature amazing cinematography and beautifully used cinematic score.

The movie has been restored to a pristine state on Blu-ray and since it was originally filmed on 70mm in the 2.2:1 aspect ratio it is perfectly suited to this high definition format. Every color, detail, and light level is crisp and spot on.

This disc is true reference grade for the movie and needs to be owned by any fan. On the audio front it is presented in uncompressed PCM as well as Dolby Digital 5.1; while it sounds amazing, the mixing is front heavy so there is not a large amount of surround exposure; regardless, this movie sounds great.

Finally on the extras front the disc is loaded with documentaries, making of entries, and a great commentary by the two principle actors. All of these features are great and they add a huge amount of depth to the movie. 2001:

A Space Odyssey is a true classic and thanks to the great care given to this Blu-ray package it is truly one of the Blu-rays you MUST own, and is number 3 on the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

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#2 Blade Runner (Ultimate Collectors Edition)

Blade Runner is a powerful movie that speaks for itself and the fact that in the past 25 years many imitators have tried to replicate the look and tone of the picture.

Blade Runner is the story of Dekkard, a specialized police officer, called a blade runner, who hunts replicants (artificial humans) who have rebelled. The hero is not perfect — he has failings and often is at a loss in a situation; he is a real person who we can all relate to and in fact the movie sheds doubts on his very humanity.

The villains are not really good or evil, they are a group of people for whom time is running out and they are trying to find a way to not only stay alive but prove in fact that they are alive and deserve to live.

The movie is genre-defining and now 25 years later the faux future looks almost real with giant animated billboards, congested dirty streets, and people seemingly on the edge of despair.

The version we will focus on is the new version of the film, the amazing Blade Runner: The Final Cut. The video presentation of this version of Blade Runner is nothing short of spectacular. Ridley Scott has an insert and an introduction that explains this was a revolutionary 4K scan of the 35mm master and it shows. The black levels, the optical shots, and the color levels (especially the neons and the billboards) are amazing and true to life. This is a dark film (not a single bright-as-day scene aside from interior lights) and thankfully the levels are perfect and make this look like a recent film and not one that is over 25 years old. Audio is breathtaking with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 versions to choose from and the audio really takes advantage of the formats. Directional audio is abundant and bass is utilized to amazing effect, the sound levels are always great and the background noise is presented in a way that convinces you that this is truly a crowded and busy place Dekkard lives in.

Finally the extras — wow, if you are lucky enough to get the Ultimate Edition (I was) there are physical extras, but on the discs there is an amazing amount of material. Unbelievably Blade Runner is a five-disc collection, yes five discs, and it can be found for under $30 at most retailers. On the discs we have four extra versions of the film (on top of the final cut) all restored to the best level they could (original, international, director’s cut, and work print); these are all different versions, some subtle and some pronounced changes.

We also have many commentaries, a making of documentary that runs over 200 minutes, a number of making of featurettes and a look at the versions from work print to final. This is a staggering amount of material and is, I believe, the high water mark for Blu-rays both from a movie restoration/quality level and the extras that were included. Blade Runner: Complete Collector’s Edition is the must have and every single person who owns a Blu-ray player needs to have this collection.

Coming in at number 2 on the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

542050blu-ray_close_encounters_of_the_third_kind

#1 Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This is my all time favorite movie and comes in a two-disc Blu-ray set which is the definitive homage to Steven Spielberg’s classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie centers around an everyman who sees a UFO and explores what would happen if real people were to have an encounter of the third kind (meeting the aliens).

It is a movie that explores the nature of the human race as well as our viewpoints toward others and the potential for life on other worlds. This package contains the never before on video theatrical release, the theatrical re-release special edition, and the 1997 director’s cut. The movie is groundbreaking (even today), heartwarming, and a true classic, science fiction at its best.

The video presentations in these versions are equally stunning, presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The film grain from the original print is perfectly represented (thankfully they didn’t digitally clean it). The color levels, blacks, and flesh tones are spot on and this release demonstrates how older films can still look amazing if handled correctly.

The audio is very strong with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 versions on the discs. The sound mixing is excellent with deep bass reproduction and effective surround levels; in particular the communication scene at the end is truly wonderful to listen to.

Finally we see a large amount of very high quality extras from interviews with Spielberg to an immense behind the scenes photo gallery to a documentary on the film and its impact. One of the coolest extras is the ‘view from above’ feature which flashes icons on screen to tell you when a scene came from an alternate version of the film. It is a neat feature that fans will love as it ties in directly with the included fold-out map that shows the differences in the versions. The film is amazing as is the presentation and extras, this is a must have for any Blu-ray owner.

And there you have in this authors opinion of course the 10 must have blu-ray discs.

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Nendoroid 09

Nendoroid 09 Haruhi Suzumiya

Charles Hamel

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I can hear the Xbox 360 fanboys bitching and moaning now, for they will not have a chance to play God of War 3 that is unless they have a Playstation 3 also. Reason being is Sony has made an announcement to the effect that God of War III to be a Playstation 3 exclusive.

The reasoning behind this decision was given as the developers went through extensive measures to make sure that they utilized the full power of the Playstation 3, hence the statement the game is only possible on the PS3.

God of War III to be a Playstation 3 exclusive

Claire Blackhouse who is the product manager of Studio Santa Monica said “the studio worked hard to use the power of the PS3 to make GOW3 look amazing and have added features that are only possible with PS3″

Further features were discussed including the lighting in the game, the transitions from light to darkness and vice versa were programmed in to act like a real human eye would adjust to going from one light source to another. For example, using the High Dynamic Range Lighting (HDRL) technology, the camera – when using Krato’s sightline – will emulate the human retina, causing players to feel a sharp brightness when Kratos exits a dark area and enters a sunlit area, similar to how the human eye would need to adjust.”

GOW3 to be a Playstation 3 exclusive

The news of God of War 3 to be a Playstation 3 exclusive is good for those of us who own PS3’s because the developers will spend all of their time tweaking the game to be the very best for one platform versus having to compromise to satisfy requirements for two consoles.

God of War 3 was announced at 2008’s E3 and is due to be released in March of 2010, it will be the fifth and final chapter in the Kratos Saga. At the time of this article only 3 weapons had been announced which include a bow, the trademark Blades of Athena, and the Cestus, a pair of fist gauntlets shaped like lion heads. This new weapon appears to have the ability to smash through solid objects such as rocks as well as a similar ability as the Blades of Athena. The Golden Fleece appears on Kratos’ arm in gameplay trailers and the demo, and the Icarus’ wings, showing that he keeps both from his adventure in God of War II.

god-of-war-3-pressannc09

Developers have stated that more weapons will be announced and will be more user-friendly than the sub-weapons from previous titles. Combos from previous titles will also make a return as well as new combos. The number of enemies onscreen has been increased to 50 as opposed to the maximum of 15 in previous God of War installments.

gow3

The fact of the matter is the announcement of God of War 3 to be a Playstation 3 exclusive has got mixed feelings between the two top gaming platforms, which side are you on?

Charles Hamel

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Little Big Planet

modnation-racers-announced

modnation-racers-conf-clips

One of the most interesting ways that ModNation Racers deviates from the Mario Kart formula is the Boost Gauge, which fills up as you perform tricks such as drifting, hitting enemies with weapons, and performing stunts in the air. You can use the gauge to boost and get a leg up on the competition without having to worry about the whims of fate.

modnation-racers

In addition to boosting, the gauge can be used for offensive and defensive purposes. You can spend some of the gauge to activate a special shield that allows you to block weapons at the press of a button. This “costs” a fair amount of your boost gauge but can protect you from danger. You can also use the right analog stick to sideswipe an opposing car, which is a valuable attack that can be used at any time but also costs some boost. This adds a layer of skill that games like Mario Kart lack, as you’re no longer completely at the mercy of weapons. A skilled player will be able to boost, shield and sideswipe his way through opponents, hopefully alleviating some of the “Blue Shell” problems that plague Mario Kart.

kartscreenshot_racing_04

Before you even get into the races, you’re going to want to customize your racer. Like LittleBigPlanet, Customization is the name of the game. It may seem simple enough to customize your racer, especially since all of your options are completely cosmetic, but there’s a ridiculous amount of available options. Not only can you customize every aspect of the person riding your car, but you can also customize the vehicle. You’re effectively given a blank slate to work with and can select from a staggering amount of different parts to create the perfect racer. My favorite bit of customization was being able to alter the car’s engine sound, which is a feature that can quickly become annoying in a kart racer unless you find just the perfect rumble. There are also simpler changes, such as colors and symbols. You’ll find that making the perfect car and driver is a very addictive way to spend your time, and the creation process is almost as fun as the actual racing. You can even trade characters with other players to see others’ creative ideas. If you’re feeling less creative, you can also randomize everything to yield some rather hilarious-looking weirdos.

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The real selling feature of ModNation Racers is going to be the track editor. The game ships with a handful of developer-made tracks, but the replay value is going to be in seeing exactly what users can come up with. Creating a track is surprisingly easy, and there are a lot of options for what you can do. Before you begin laying the track, very simple tools allow you to alter the time of day, weather, and even the ocean level of the racing area. You can create mountains, valleys or lakes to add a little extra spice to the track, or you can choose to keep things simple and level. Once you’ve created the racing area, you make the track by simply controlling a steamroller that lays asphalt as you drive around. You can alter the elevation of the racetrack with a button press, and the game will automatically delete obstacles in your way, so all you have to do is drive the path that you’d like to race. Another nice feature is the Auto-Complete option, which will automatically loop the track back to its starting point. Once you’ve created a loop, your racetrack is complete.

charles hamel

ModNation Racers has the potential to be one of the biggest hits of the year. It’s rare to find a gamer who doesn’t enjoy Mario Kart, and United Front Games realizes this. They’ve slightly improved the formula to allow gamers to retain the same basic crazy fun that makes Mario Kart so appealing. At the same time, some new mechanics offer the chance for more dedicated gamers to really improve their skills. As if that weren’t good enough, the available customization options are mind-blowing. Being able to create an infinite number of racetracks has the potential to give ModNation Racers nearly unlimited replay value, especially since the track creator is both easy to use and full of options. While some of the more complex elements were locked in our preview build, what I saw made it obvious that dedicated creators could make some truly amazing tracks. Assuming everything comes together, ModNation Racers could be the surprise hit of the year for Sony, and those with a PS3 should make sure to check it out when it hits in 2010.

charles hamel 2

This is a must get on my list of games for my new Christmas present the Playstation 3, I spent countless hours trying to get all gold stars on Mario Kart and I am sure that ModNation Racers will also equally take up hours and hours of my time.

Charles Hamel

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I would like to take the time to wish all of the readers of charles hamel.com a very!!

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year!

may all of your dreams come true!

I have never been much of a first person shooter type of guy, although a game that keeps popping it’s head up on my daily searches on the Internet is PS3 Borderlands. I have searched and read just about every review there is about it and have come to the conclusion that I must have it.

PS3 Borderlands makes an attempt at being a combination first person shooter/role playing game, from what I have read the rpg part doesn’t succeed as well as you assign a few spec points here and there to shape a unique character. The first person shooter part is a big success and the stylish graphics is what has made this title the talk of the town.

Lets start off with a little information on PS3 Borderlands and what you can expect before you hand over your hard earned cash.

PS3 Borderlands 3

The main theme of the game is finding weapons and killing things with them. Every once in a while you will have to assign a skill point to one of your attributes and also there is a hint of a story thrown into the mix, but actually those things don’t really matter much. In fact if you want to you can just skip the text description of every quest in the game, because they will always consist of the following major steps:

• A. Go to a set place.
• B. Kill some shit.
• C. Turn a knob or handle.
• D. Kill some more shit.
• E. Success!

The tasks and attribute points are just enough to make PS3 Borderlands different from most other first person shooters. Over the top characters giving out quests are plentiful but the most part of the game consists of combat and looting your kills that allows you to buy bigger and badder weapons. I can think of rock solid games in the past that had great success from the kill and loot themes (thanks Diablo).

PS3 Borderlands 2

The Story

The story starts out with you being one of the  four vault hunters on the wastelands of Pandora. Of course your task is to look for the mysterious place called “The Vault,” which is rumored to be a legendary location packed with alien technology and riches and stuff. Oh, and there’s a mysterious grainy, scan-liney woman trying to help you find it.  This is all explained in a stylish and very cool cutscene at the start of the game.

PS3 Borderlands guns

The Guns

One of the highlights of PS3 Borderlands is the guns, combat rifles, machine guns, sub-machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, revolvers, pistols, rocket launchers, and many that are in a class by themselves. And of each typeof gun, there are multiple manufacturers, models, bonuses, and elemental modifications. Seriously, there are a boat load of guns. Your spec points come into play as you spec and become more efficient at using certain types of weapons.

PS3 Borderlands enemies

The Enemies

I have one word for you: “Skags” tons of skags. Little Skags, big skags, fire breathing skags and acid spitting skags. Your probably wondering what the hell is a skag, and the easiest way to explain them would be a mutant dog. And then there are the bipedal creatures, the AIs are pretty successful, and there’s enough behavior variety to keep the fights interesting. Regular bandits stay back and take cover. Bruisers walk forward as if your bullets are made of rubber. Psychos sprint straight for you, clutching live grenades, lighting themselves on fire, or tossing axes in your direction.

PS3 Borderlands character

The Style

PS3 Borderlands is bold looking, and looks like a playable comic book. You’ll be pressed up against the scenery just to get a good look at the textures. It doesn’t disappoint with the gore, either.  The environments all have certain distinguishing features, but after a while, they start to blend together into a mush of deteriorating shacks and rocky landscapes. Still, Pandora is a well-imagined wasteland, and is worthy of at least one long trip, and you can bet it will be a trip that I will personally make.

PS3 Borderlands cover

PS3 Borderlands is easily found on Amazon for the very reasonable price of $52.00 and will be the result of many hours of entertainment in front of your new Big Screen TV you got for Christmas

Charles Hamel

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If you are a playstation fan like me, and you love Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Games you are in luck with the Playstation Homes new release of the newest Playstation MMO entitled Sodium One. Sodium One is a massive 50 level vehicle combat game wrapped inside a highly-interactive and expansive social gaming environment it is truly a revolutionary gaming experience developed by Outso Ltd. and published by Lockwood Publishing Ltd.

Playstation MMO 2

The game takes place in a future of advanced technology where man and machine meet on a vast salt plain to turn deadly battle into extreme sport, and you can experience it only in the ever-growing world of PlayStation Home. And come opening day, you will want to be the first person in. That is, of course, if you want to be the last person standing.  A new benchmark for social gaming in PlayStation Home, Sodium One will launch with an explosive game known as Salt Shooter a Playstation MMO that consisits of  a 50 level combat challenge where players can collect items to level up gameplay and strategically customize hovertanks with weapons, armor, and countermeasures. These level-ups can be obtained in a variety of ways, including meeting in-game objectives, trading resources collected in the Sodium world, and purchasing items that unlock upgrades in the Sodium environment (such as the tank pilot jackets, which grant access to additional levels of the game, leaderboards, and the pilots’ VIP lounge)

Playstation MMO 3

All of this is built upon an Massive Multiplayer  framework that includes additional games like Desert Quench and Scorpion Stomp, associated rewards and collectibles, and personal questing adventures, all of which are tracked by the Sodium AI Information Android known as VICKIE. The above games make for a truly next-level PlayStation Home space that centers on the concept of offering persistent objectives and long-term rewards to the PlayStation Home community, so users may work together to reach score targets and unlock future content and continuously upgrade their personal gaming experiences.

A dynamic and immersive gaming environment that will continue to expand over time by offering new games, community events, and virtual items, Sodium One is an experience unique to the PlayStation Home platform. By leveraging the computing power of the PS3, Outso Ltd. has succeeded in creating a graphically-rich, community-based game that is leaps ahead of anything offered on other consoles. To celebrate this momentous event, we will be making a limited number of unique voucher codes – good for a full unlock of the entire Salt Shooter combat game – available to 1,050 PlayStation Home community members that explore the space during the first 7 days (150 users per day). All you have to do is log in to PlayStation Home, enter the Sodium One space and interact with VICKIE for your chance to unlock the full game.

The playstation 3 is shaping up to be something that is unique to all of the other console machines that are on the market today. Adding a Playstation MMO is icing on the cake for many of us and only further solidifies the decision to be the proud new owner of a playstation 3.

Santa came a little early and is going to make this year a PS3 Christmas worth remembering. As you can see in the picture, all of the girls are excited about the new addition to the home entertainment center.  I have a vision to transform my computer room/office into one of comfort and relaxation. The first thing I had to think about is something to connect my PS3 Christmas present to.  Why connect it to a regular TV when it can do so much more. I set out to find how I could cheaply get a High Definition TV.

After searching around a bit, I saw in the local Yamada Denki (electronics shop) an High Definition Monitor with a HDMI connection for $250.00…… Hmm this sounds promising, but I wondered if I could find something even cheaper?  Shopping around for a couple of weeks I happened to walk into another electronics shop in Asahikawa called Hyakuman Volts (1000 volts) and found a 21 inch High Definition Monitor on sale for $150.00. It had been reduced because it was the last one and had no box, I grabbed it quicker than you could say Hai!

monitor

Now Since the new PS3 Christmas present has a built in BlueRay drive, I will be able to watch movies in HD. Next step I wanted to get is a 5.1 surround sound system to complete my Home Theatre. To my surprise they are very difficult to find here and are very expensive. I remember in the U.S. you could find some nice 5.1 surround sound computer speaker systems for around the $50 – $100 range. Not here. The cheapest one I found was $350.00.  NOT!

So I happened to check in a recycle shop (pawn shop) and found quite a few. The one I have my eye on is a Yamaha system with a Sub Woofer, and 5 speakers and the requirement was to have an optical input which it does. The price $70.00. Normally I don’t like buying used electronic products, but in this case I don’t have much choice, and it is guaranteed to work. So maybe I will go that route.

Yamaha HTR-5830 System

My computer room is a bit cold, actually Hokkaido at this time is very cold, so we had to start thinking of a way to warm the room. I had originally been thinking a heated carpet, but my wife suggested a kotatsu (a japanese style low table with a heater under it). We had one in the U.S. and it was a sleeping pill for me. Soon after I get under it I am out like a light. I will weigh the costs between a regular carpet and a kotatsu, and a heated carpet and regular table, and see which is the most cost effective route.

kotatsu

I also wanted to get rid of my full size desk and exchange it for a low to the floor Japanese style desk. I have always preferred sitting on the floor versus a chair, so I think I will get a bean bag chair to sit in on the floor while I play games and watch movies.  So that is my idea to transform my computer room into a home media center, where the whole family can enjoy movies together.

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How is the place where you watch movies and play games set up? I would like to hear your ideas and also see some pictures if you got them, I will make a post and put your pictures up with a link to your home page or Blog if you would like. I hope all of you have a great Christmas and maybe you can make it a PS3 Christmas like mine.