Monthly Archives: May 2011

Geek Music: Black Materia Edition

I know I’m super late to the party for anybody that’s known about this since it came out, but it was just recently that a friend of mine mentioned this album to me. For people that haven’t heard of Random before, I first became aware of this guy when he put out an album called Mega Ran, a tribute to Mega Man’s music. Random took tracks from the Mega Man soundtracks and wrote raps to go along with some of the beats. While you see groups like The Black Mages, Minibosses, and The Advantage taking video game tracks and performing their own (often awesome) takes on them, Random’s Mega Ran was the first time that I’d seen someone write lyrics for game tracks that actually went well and sounded good. While I appreciated the quality, I was never a huge Mega Man player when I was younger, so I just sort of moved on from the tracks and got on with my life. Now, four years later, I’m rediscovering Random again. Only this time, he’s teamed up with Lost Perception to give the same treatment to Final Fantasy VII’s soundtrack, my personal favorite game soundtrack of all time, and they’re calling it Black Materia. Like Mega Ran, Black Materia is an album full of raps set to the beats of the game’s soundtrack, all being completely related to the background tracks they’re set against (e.g. the rap set to Tifa’s theme is all about Tifa.) The album includes some of my personal favorite like the Cosmo Canyon and Cid themes, as well as the one everyone would expect, One Winged Angel, and many more. All told, there are 16 main tracks to the album, as well as three of what Random calls “Bonus Beats,” which are remixed versions of tracks from the soundtrack that, as he puts it, “weren’t used…yet” that are still great to listen to. So if you like raps or you like Final Fantasy VII’s soundtrack, maybe you should at least check out a few tracks. If you like both of those things, this should be a no-brainer. Head over to this page if you’d like to purchase the album. It’s $7.77 for a digital copy, and there are 3 different sets of hard-copy CDs if you’d like to go that route (one of which even comes with a cool poster.) I’ll definitely be making sure to keep Random on my radar in the future, to see if he keeps up his awesome work.

500 word review, Monopoly Here and Now iOS

The inspiration for this fantastic version of the game.

I have grown up playing Monopoly every Christmas and it has always annoyed me that I could only play at Christmas because nobody else would play at other times. That is why the iOS version of the game is the perfect fit for people like me.

Monopoly Here and Now for iOS devices is the re-skinned version of the original game for iOS. Like the Here and Now version of the board game it updates the monetary value of everything in order to fit with modern times by multiplying all the amounts by 10,000. One of the changes from the board game version of Here and Now is the fact that this is the worldwide version. Instead of Mayfair and Park Lane you have Montreal and Riga respectively. This makes for a nice change of pace and almost makes this hundred-year-old game feel like new. There is still something that could be said for the nostalgia of the train stations, Bond Street and the waterworks but this version of the game achieves what it sets out to do with just one worldwide version of the game for the worldwide market that is the iOS platform.

This iOS version of Monopoly is one of the best virtual versions of the game that I have played. The mechanics are essentially the same but the rules are customisable and the Retina Display for the iPod touch and iPhone really make up for the somewhat limited technology of the mobile devices. Although the game would not look anywhere near as good on an older iPod or iPhone – I also tested it on a non-retina display iPod touch – the Retina Display functionality means the game surpasses the likes of other mobile versions of the game. I would be inclined to say that the iOS version of the game is on par or at least extremely close to the PS3/PSP mini version in terms of graphics.

For any Monopoly fans out there this game is more than worth the 0.59p ($0.99) entry point. I have been playing it all week and I already feel as though I have got my moneys worth. Even for casual fans of Monopoly this could be worth getting for the simple fact that there are three difficulty levels for the AI in the game, which makes for a quick or long game depending upon yours and the AI’s skill. Although there are other versions of this game on other platforms they aren’t all the same. The Android version is extremely different from the iOS version and costs $6.99. The PS Mini version is somewhat similar but again it costs around $5 and isn’t as portable as the iOS version since most people probably take their iPhone or iPod touch with them everywhere anyway. If however you want to be able to play the game on your television as well then the Playstation Mini version would be hard to pass up since you can play it on both the PSP and PS3.

 

Flaunt your Geek Pride on May 25th!

Elf on Towel Day

Elf and her Towel

May 25th.

Geek Pride Day. Star Wars Day. Towel Day. Glorious 25th of May.

If you happen to be a geek of diverse interests you may find today almost overwhelming. Me, I’ve got Boba Fett in my pocket, a “42” t-shirt on under my work clothes, a towel on my shoulder, and a lilac badge on my shirt. I figure all of those combined is enough to show my geek pride for the day.

Episode 46- Casual talk without Terror

Once again be sure to pick up our android app. The android App includes special bonus content that can only be found on the android app or you can tune in to our live show. Show notes with links will be below. We really want to know what you think of this episode so please let us know your thoughts. You can leave feedback on iTunes, Zune, Twitter, Facebook, send email to TheGeeksFTW@gmail.com , call our voiceline at 1-347-GeekFTW(433-5389) , or leave a comment below. And remember we are still looking for writers and guest hosts so if you are interested than please contact us. We hope you enjoy!

  1. psp games on ps3
  2. Capcom drops Nintendo support
  3. U.S. Ranked 9th in Internet speeds
  4. I recommend: Goemon

Console Exclusives That Need A Sequel

Just one of the console exclusives that needs a sequel.


 Each console has games that make it special. Microsoft have Halo, Sony has Uncharted and Nintendo have Mario. But what of the franchises that don’t get the game they deserve or are maybe even forgotten? In this article I am going to run through the console exclusives that need a sequel.

Hit the jump for the games!

A fangirl’s review of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

(photo via Disney)

Now that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has officially opened I have no problems giving you guys my review. I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum (with warning). I’m also going to ignore the whole 3D aspect as that’s a subject I tend to rant about too often. Instead I’ll stick to the movie itself and the score. 

Episode 45- Celebrate Good Times!


Great news in this episode. We talk a lot about video game related topics. Just nothing else we could think of to talk about. We hope to talk more about other topics next week. Once again be sure to pick up our android app. The android App includes special bonus content that can only be found on the android app or you can tune in to our live show. Show notes with links will be below. We really want to know what you think of this episode so please let us know your thoughts. You can leave feedback on iTunes, Zune, Twitter, Facebook, send email to TheGeeksFTW@gmail.com , call our voiceline at 1-347-GeekFTW(433-5389) , or leave a comment below. And remember we are still looking for writers and guest hosts so if you are interested than please contact us. We hope you enjoy!

Episode 44-Lost one & Found another!

We are back! Even though our first try at episode 44 turned out to be a failure we managed to record a fresh new episode 44 for you all. Episode 45 will be released during our normal time next week. And We Are Geeks will still come out as scheduled. Once again be sure to pick up our android app. The android App includes special bonus content that can only be found on the android app or you can tune in to our live show. Show notes with links will be below. We really want to know what you think of this episode so please let us know your thoughts. You can leave feedback on iTunes, Zune, Twitter, Facebook, send email to TheGeeksFTW@gmail.com , call our voiceline at 1-347-GeekFTW(433-5389) , or leave a comment below. And remember we are still looking for writers and guest hosts so if you are interested than please contact us. We hope you enjoy!

Netflix for Android!

Looks like the wait is finally over, for some. Netflix has just released an Android App that is compatible with HTC Incredible, Nexus One, Evo 4G, and G2, plus the Samsung Nexus S. Hopefully we will see more devices compatible with this app. If your lucky enough to have one of these devices then check the link I provide out and download it now! Also comment and let us know what you think.

Source via Android Marketplace

“The Stand” as a graphic novel

The Stand

Creepy, isn't it?

Until Free Comic Book Day I had no idea that Stephen King’s “The Stand” had been put into illustrated form. Yet as I wandered around the comic-filled boxes on the sidewalk tables I saw one particular comic on a table marked “Free” that I couldn’t resist picking up.

It was an issue from the “Soul Survivors” chapter of “The Stand” graphic novel.