ComputerSUKI.com » Gaming

Racing Sim Super Review, Part 2 – rFactor

Adam Bauman — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:25:38 +0000

This is part two of four in ComputerSUKI’s Racing Sim Super Review. Today we’re going to take a look at the most flexible of simulators, rFactor. Released in late 2005 this simulator has enjoyed a pretty large user base and is loved for it’s ability to accept a large number of user generated modifications and plugins. It’s also an interesting entry because it shares the same base simulation engine as SimBin’s titles, gMotor2, which was developed by Image Space Incorporated.

Hit the link to learn more about rFactor. [ Read Racing Sim Super Review, Part 2 - rFactor ]

Another Xbox 360 Bites the Dust (E 74)

Adam Bauman — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:25:28 +0000

Red Ring of Death

It has been known for awhile now that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 hasn’t exactly measured up to the best of hardware quality standards. Throughout its lifespan there have been a number of well known issues such as disc scratching, power supply failures, and the infamous Red Ring of Death. I always scoffed at people whining about these issues because both my friends’ and my own 360s had been working perfectly since launch, I stayed committed to this stance even after my first 360 died after nearly two years and I had it replaced under Best Buy’s optional ($40 at the time) Product Replacement Plan

Well today, after I hadn’t played it in almost a week my 360 starts up to a “E74″ error and a single red light which indicates a general GPU fault or something like that. The good thing is that I took out another replacement plan when my last one died so at least I can get it replaced under warranty, otherwise I would have been out of luck because this issue isn’t covered by the three year RROD warranty extension that Microsoft began offering last year.

Let this serve as a warning (as if there aren’t enough of these already) to any potential Xbox 360 owners, don’t scoff at those optional product replacement plans when offered on a 360, it’s saved my bacon once and paid for itself 10 times over. I’d recommend Best Buy’s PRP, they actually give you store credit for the dead unit so you may come out ahead depending on which system you chose as a replacement. My first 360 had cost me $400 initially, by the time I had to replace it the cost had dropped to $300 so I walked away with a gift card for $100. Not a bad deal in the end.

Update – Best Buy’s new replacement plans work a little differently. This time around I was given store credit because it was covered under an older plan, with the new plan Best Buy has to ship the 360 to Microsoft who will then ship a refurbished unit to your home. Not as good of a deal as the old plans but it will still get you a new Xbox after your 360 dies.

Racing Sim Super Review, Part 1 – GTR Evolution

Adam Bauman — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:35:54 +0000

We’re going to kick off a four-part series that will cover the best of the modern racing sim systems. I have always been a passionate motorsports fan and have some real competitive driving experience under my belt, so naturally my love for computing and racing attracted me to the sim scene. Once you pick a sim or two and become a part of the community you’ll be a simracer for life.

To start we’re going to take a look at GTR Evolution, the latest offering from the esteemed SimBin Studios. Head on over to the review and check it out! [ Read Racing Sim Super Review, Part 1 - GTR Evolution ]

Good Old Games (gog.com)

Adam Bauman — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:44:18 +0000

After finishing my GameTap review I wanted to shed some light on another awesome site for gaming fans. GOG.com, which stands for Good Old Games is a relatively new website that offers older gaming titles for some incredibly good prices and without any form of DRM attached.

Keep an eye on the site, new games are added on a fairly regular basis and they often run some pretty multi-game promotions that are very difficult to resist. Head on over to http://www.gog.com and see for yourself.

New review added, GameTap.com

Adam Bauman — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:10:44 +0000

GameTap was launched in 2005 and has been gaining subscribers at a pretty good rate. I’ve been a subscriber to the service for the better part of the last two years and have been very pleased with it.

So what does a GameTap subscription get you? Well, it depends on which level of service you subscribe to. Premium subscribers will get the best deal out of the lot with access to over 1,000 unique games ranging from popular titles like Supreme Commander and Grid down to a number of simple card and puzzle games. In between you’ll find a ton of great titles across a number of genres which includes many indie titles unique to GameTap. Among these games you’ll find Telltale’s new Sam & Max series of adventure games as well as American McGee’s new Grimm series of short fairytale action games.

Check out the full GameTap Review for more.