Every PS1 Game – Syphon Filter 3
Even though Syphon Filter 2 was awful, I knew I was going to play Syphon Filter 3. First of all, I was just determined to finally do so, but it was also a case of having to sleep in the bed that I made, as the saying goes: I had already purchased SF3 before I even started SF2. I am fascinated that 23 years after its original release, you can still buy a brand a new copy of Syphon Filter 3. So I did.
After a brief intro FMV reminding us where we are in the story, we can select New Game. Completely eschewing the drawn-out videos of the previous installment, after a very short intro clip we are already into the game! While the first and second games are graphically very similar, the quality improvement in this game is apparent immediately. The original release was November 2001 (pushed back from a September release and with a changed cover after 9/11, but that is story for a different time), a year after the US release of the PS2. Not only were the FMV’s created in a completely different software, they are presented in high resolution: 512×240, compared to the usual 320×240.
(more…)SpeedSF @ Laguna Seca – 2024/11/30
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year, I jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn and headed down to the legendary venue known as Laguna Seca.
Nestled in the foothills near Monterey, California, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, this track enjoys perfect weather on almost every day of the year. Even though it was the end of November, as soon as I stepped out of my car in the paddock at 9:30 AM my sweatshirt immediately came off as I bathed in the glorious warm sun and gentle cool breeze of this mid-60’s day.
(more…)Every PS1 game – Syphon Filter 2
Even though I played the original Syphon Filter a lot back in the day, for some reason I was never tempted by parts 2 and 3. They were both on the $19.99 Greatest Hits line, could be found used for under ten bucks at any Gamestop in town, and yet I never even considered them. After recently re-playing Syphon Filter, I decided to finally pick up 2 and 3 and see what they’re like. Let’s start with Syphon Filter 2.
The start is promising. This was the direct sequel, released one year after the original, and you can tell they were definitely going for “bigger and badder” with the opening cinematics.
(more…)Open Wheel Showdown 2024 at The Bullring
In the same way that engineers will succinctly refer to a tire locking up under braking as “under-rotation”, engineers will refer to an issue that stands in the way of accomplishing something as a “blocker”. Well, on this Friday at work I had a blocker–the engineering type–so I decided to wander over to the paddock next door to see what was going on.
For reasons of which I am unclear, The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is very rarely used. While there is constant action at the main speedway, the two road courses, the dirt oval, the dirt “cross” track, and other spaces around the speedway grounds, the 3/8th mile asphalt Bullring hardly sees any use.
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Star Road 