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Showing posts from September, 2011

Beach Life Virtual Resort: Spring Break - Opening and Editing The .BLE Game Files

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images taken from the game and from the game manual I have an itch to play Beach Life every now and then. The last time it happened, I found a band-aid solution to guests complaining about high prices. I wanted to make more changes if I could but I couldn't find a way to open and read some of the script files. There are some files in the game that are readable on notepad ( GameParameters.pis and the other . pis files on each scenario and sandscenario folder) but when you try to open up the . ble files, you only see random symbols. I've tried tools that I've seen recommended online ( Game Extractor , Ghidra , Offzip to name a few). Admittedly, I did just glaze over them because I know nothing about reverse engineering a game and didn't know what to do. I have an inkling to play it again recently, and I decided to try an idea that has been looming over my head but have been avoiding.... The GameParameters.pis file had a header containing the file name, and I notice...

New Facebook Timeline Profile

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blurred out certain elements So I'm currently using the new Timeline profile on Facebook . Click here to see a bigger picture of the new Facebook profile (though I had to cut the length of the image). Note that it doesn't look very attractive, but that's probably because the pictures on my wall sucks. I've seen it live on other profiles, and they look great. I like it. A lot of people are tired of the constant updates/revamps in Facebook and are thinking of stopping the use of the service but the new Timeline has the opposite effect on me. This is actually the first time I'm enticed with the idea of using Facebook. As you can see from my wall posts above, I mainly use Facebook just for the games. I don't really share or do anything too personal on Facebook. The new Timeline profile feels like a scrapbook and will make backtracking posts easier now (as opposed to clicking "Older Posts" since the months/years are archived on the right side of ...

The Adventures of Merlin Season 4 (BBC)

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From Merlin's Keep: http://farfarawaysite.com/merlin/ The premiere for the fourth season of The Adventures of Merlin is finally near! On the official BBC site, it is indicated that the new season will be shown every Saturday this coming October. The rumored air date is on October 1st in the U.K. (Folks in the U.K. are so lucky!!). Earlier this year, it was revealed that the new season would contain the usual 13 episodes (it was originally announced that only 10 episodes would be made due to budget cuts). It is also confirmed that a fifth season has been commissioned by the BBC. I had to calm myself down as I was starting to write this post. After reading this wiki page (WARNING: SPOILERS CAN BE FOUND ON THIS LINK. DON'T CLICK IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED. http://merlin.wikia.com/wiki/Series_4 ), I couldn't help but be very very excited to watch the new season. Although I'm a bit worried about the new season. I have no doubts that it would be action packed...

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

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Bridge to Terabithia is a fantasy/drama film based on a novel of the same name. It tells the story of Jess Aarons ( Josh Hutcherson ), a fifth grader and an aspiring artist. His family isn't very well off and he has trouble with bullies in school. A new girl named Leslie Burke ( AnnaSophia Robb ) beat him at a race, which he practiced all summer for. On the way home, Jess and Leslie learned that they are neighbors. Their friendship grew, as they created a magical place across the creek - Terabithia.  I remember watching the trailer for Bridge to Terabithia sometime back, and I was really excited to see it thinking it was an epic family fantasy adventure. I don't think I've watched any other trailer that was more misleading. Even the movie poster looks magical. Well, it is magical in a way. The bond between Jess and Leslie was just beautiful. I was surprised at the lengths of emotion I felt while watching the film. Be forewarned, you'll need boxes of tissue.

GRΣΣK (2007-2011)

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GRΣΣK started off with Cyprus-Rhodes University (CRU) freshman Rusty Cartwright ( Jacob Zachar ). Rusty wants to not just be a typical nerdy guy, so he decides to pledge into a fraternity. During rush, Rusty encounters Calvin Owens ( Paul James ), an Omega Chi legacy and a closet gay at the time (which he reveals to Rusty later on). Rusty was offered two bids: one from Omega Chi (the top fraternity on campus) and Kappa Tau Gamma. The pledge educator in Omega Chi is Evan Chambers ( Jake McDorman ). Evan is a very wealthy and popular guy. He is together with a member Zeta Beta Zeta (the top sorority on campus) and Rusty's sister, Casey Cartwright ( Spencer Grammer ). The president of Kappa Tau is Cappie ( Scott Michael Foster ), Casey's ex-boyfriend. Rusty declines the bid from Omega Chi after Evan was caught cheating with Senator Logans' daughter and a ZBZ pledge, Rebecca Logan ( Dilshad Vadsaria ). Rusty accepts the bid from Kappa Tau. Rusty also has a very religious room...

Serenity (2005)

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Serenity is a 2005 space western film based on the Firefly TV series. The movie takes place in 2518 and the crew of Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture River Tam ( Summer Glau ). The truth about the Reavers were also revealed in the movie. Serenity did a good job of giving a decent closure to Firefly . Not many TV-to-movie transitions pan out well (I distinctly remember the dreadful, dreadful Dead Like Me: Life After Death which I regret watching because it tainted my wonderful memory of the Dead Like Me TV series). I'm not too sure if it would appeal to those who haven't seen Firefly though.

Zombie Lane (Google+ Game)

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Zombie Lane is a social network game by Digital Chocolate . The game is available both in Facebook and in Google+, but I decided to try it out on Google+ to avoid those distracting sidebar ads. In Zombie Lane , the neighborhood is under a zombie outbreak. The players' character has lost his/her spouse and dog, and their house is in utter ruins. The player must rebuild their neighborhood, all the while dealing with a zombie apocalypse. Having watched a lot of zombie apocalypse movies ( Shaun of the Dead being probably my favorite), I was intrigued by this game. It's a bit weird to rebuild your house/neighborhood whilst trying to keep zombies at bay, but it's actually quite a refreshing experience (in terms of gaming). I haven't played the game that far off to give a comprehensive review, but from what I've seen, Zombie Lane is sure tons of fun! Quick Tip: Are you out of energy in game? Leave your customization/inventory/market window open and create a new ta...

Google Plus Games

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I haven't opened my account in Google+ for a while. The people in my circle aren't very active so I don't really see the point on logging in Google+ often. Few months back, Google has announced their plans on offering games on Google+. I promptly forgot about it but I had just learned that the games were released on the site almost a month ago. There aren't many games available, but Google is gradually adding more games and are also looking for developers interested in building games for Google+. On their official announcement , Google has made it pretty clear that games won't get in the way in your overall Google+ experience. Your game invites, latest game updates and your game accomplishments aren't found on your regular stream and instead are located on the Games Page. I had just tried playing Bejeweled Blitz on Google+. I'm also playing that game on Facebook, and I must say my experience with playing Bejeweled Blitz on Google+ is very pleasant. Ther...

Cupcake Corner (Facebook Game)

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Cupcake Corner is OMGPOP's first true social Facebook game. It was released over a year ago, but somehow on the apps' splash screen, the word 'Beta' is still present. The Cupcake Corner section in OMGPOP hasn't been updated, but I was able to get the bonuses below: (Note: You must first link you Facebook account to your OMGPOP account before playing Cupcake Corner to get the bonuses) Cupcake Corner Hat in Balloono and 5 OMGPOP cash! And I am getting a lot of gifts from Panda :3 My experience with the game didn't go as smooth as I hoped it would. I had trouble adding and hiring neighbors and it took me a while to sort things out. Also, I was so frustrated with the Redecorate and Dress Yourself function. It would be better if there is an option to filter out items that needs cash. Or at least have an option to arrange the items by price. Because the items are heaped into a jumble of mess, I accidentally used cash several times. Whether or not this w...

Firefly (2002-2003)

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Firefly is a Space Western television series following the adventures of a renegade crew of a firefly spacecraft, Serenity. The year is 2517 and humans have relocated on a new star system. Mal Reynolds ( Nathan Fillion ), captain of the Serenity, was a former Independent sergeant in the Battle of Serenity. He fought alongside with Zoe Washburne ( Gina Torres ) during the war and is also the second-in-command in Serenity. Her husband is the pilot of the ship, Hoban Washburne ( Alan Tudyk ). Other members of the crew is the hired muscle, Jayne Cobb ( Adam Baldwin ) and the ships mechanic, Kaylee Frye ( Jewel Staite ). Although not officially a member of the crew, Inara Serra ( Morena Baccarin ) is a Companion that rents out one of Serenity's shuttles and often travels with them. While picking up passengers for extra money in Persephone, the crew unknowingly harbored two fugitive siblings, Dr. Simon ( Sean Maher ) and River Tam ( Summer Glau ). Later on, Dr. Simon becomes a part of ...

Pleasantville (1998)

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Siblings David ( Tobey Maguire ) and Jennifer ( Reese Witherspoon ) don't always see things eye to eye. One evening while their mother is away from home, the two of them fight over the use of the television set. Jennifer wants to watch an MTV concert because she was inviting a boy over and David wants to watch a marathon of his favorite show, Pleasantville. They accidentally broke the remote control and their TV set cannot be turned on manually. An uninvited TV repairman showed up at their doorstep, and quizzes David about the show Pleasantville. The repairman hands over a strange looking remote control. David and Jennifer resumed their fighting and they suddenly found themselves transported into Pleasantville. I was really excited to see this film as soon as I saw the plot. I think it's safe to say that at some point, everyone had dreamt of living inside the world of their favorite TV show/movie/book. Pleasantville proved that what seems so perfect probably isn't, and t...

Cyanide Studio secured the license to HBO's Game of Thrones

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Earlier this year, Cyanide Studio revealed their plans on releasing a role playing game and a real time strategy game for PC adaptation of George R. R. Martin's successful 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. The real time strategy game entitled ' A Game of Thrones - Genesis ' is a single player campaign written under the supervision of George R. R. Martin himself. The release date would be on the third quarter of 2011. Just recently in an interview, Cyanide Studio stated that they had secured the license to HBO's Game of Thrones for their RPG, making it an official GoT video game. Cyanide's RPG is still untitled and is set to release in 2012.  When I first looked at the screenshots for ' A Game of Thrones - Genesis ', I was a bit disappointed with it graphics wise. Despite what I've just said, graphics aren't really a big of an issue for me (I still enjoy playing the Aveyond series because of the storyline, proving I can look past graph...

Solitaire game now available for non-Star players on OMGPOP

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The Solitaire game on OMGPOP has been available for star players for several months now (star players are members that have achieved either one of the following accomplishments: reaching level 100 on OMGPOP , buying a cashpack, or recruiting ten people *those ten recruits needs to reach level ten first*). OMGPOP released Solitaire today for all players to enjoy. The gameplay works just like how a game of Solitaire should be. It's quite different from the other games on OMGPOP (which are all multiplayer games, except for this one). However, if you crave socializing while playing, there is a chat bar on the side enabling you to chat with other users who are currently playing Solitaire . One really cool feature is the ability to continue you game.  Even if you play other games on the site or logged out, when you come back you can still resume your game. I think it would be better if there's an option to turn off the chat function or at least they should try moving the chat...

The Sims Social (Facebook Game)

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I'm one of those rare souls who has resisted on creating a Facebook account. Since I don't really have an account in Facebook, I had just heard yesterday of the game ' The Sims Social ' by EA Games . I'm a HUGE fan of the Sims Series of games (PC, mobile, or on console), I knew I had to try it out. The Sims Social has basically the same premise as the other Sims games. You create a character and you can customize its look. You also have to pay attention to your Sims' basic needs (bladder, hygiene, hunger, etc.). The house is also customizable. While the core elements of the other games in the Sims franchise are intact, what sets The Sims Social apart is the focus on socializing with real Facebook friends (called neighbors). There are a lot of tasks/quests in the game and most of the time you need to interact with your 'neighbors' to complete the task (or you can skip doing it and still get credit for the task buy paying SimCash). Overall it's p...

Thor (2011)

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Thor is a 2011 superhero film based on the Marvel Comic character of the same name. Thor Odinson ( Chris Hemsworth ), son of Odin Allfather ( Anthony Hopkins ) the ruler of Asgard and brother to Loki ( Tom Hiddleston ). Thor was set the be the next king of their realm but his arrogance resulted in him being stripped of his powers and exiled into Midgard (Earth). Meanwhile on Earth, an astrophysicist named Jane Foster ( Natalie Portman ) was investigating mysterious weather events for her research aided by her mentor and her assistant. While struggling to get near the vortex to get a closer look, Jane accidentally hits Thor with her van.... Despite the fact that the story was predictable and the love plot was forced/rushed, the movie was visually appealing and so action packed, it's still hard not to like. Will definitely keep my eyes peeled for the sequel The Avengers (Which really looks interesting. Several other Marvel characters like Iron Man and Captain America are incl...