HALO 3 ODST Out September 22, 09

I was at a friends house yesterday, and for reasons unknown to me, he had a copy of Halo ODST. Like any other fan of the Halo franchise, i decided to try the game out rather than question how he was able to come into possession of the game. I in no way shape or form support illegal downloading of games through torrents or any other means.

Now, i was only able to play the game for the an hour, and i have to say i wasn’t really blown away. Halo ODST looks pretty much and feels exactly like Halo 3. It may be a little bit better looking but not much. There’s nothing substantially new either, even though you now play as normal soldiers instead of Spartans, in first person mode, you wouldn’t notice if its master chief or not. The draw back of playing as regular soldiers is that firstly, your not as strong as master chief. It takes about twice the meelee hits to knock down enemies, and a lot more bullets to bring them down. It can get annoying sometimes when you empty an entire clip into one of the aliens, and they’re still alive and kicking. Then again, if your good with headshots, then its not an issue.

One thing that really ticked me off was that, you cycle through different soldiers as you play through the story. However, since your playing in First Person mode, there is nothing to differentiate what solider your playing as except for the difference in voices. It would be have been better, if each soldier displayed a slightly different stance either while holding the gun or shooting, or just having more dialogue during gameplay so we’d feel more connected to the different characters.

The soundtrack is excellent, as always with the Halo franchise, and if you have decent 5.1 surround sound speakers and a large HD tv, the game is a real treat to play. It really gives it that extra feeling when your charging into a swarm rambo style. Though you will most likely die performing such a tactic, as this game requires a lot more cover and shooting then previous Halo titles.

All in all, from my 1 hour session of the new game, there’s nothing new or revolutionary in the game. However, it is a decent expansion on the Halo 3 game, and is easily worth the price. Halo fans should also enjoy the online multiplayer, which has some new additions of match style, and has been tweaked to run better with lower loading times. In my opinion, i think IGN will give this game around an 8.1-8.7.

Go out and buy Halo ODST September 22, 09. I’ve got my pre-order, have you?

Altec Lansing VS2621

Ah, just recieved my FedEx shipment of my new Altec Lansings VS2621′s 2.1 Speaker system with subwoofer. I was in the market for some cheap new speakers, anything better than my laptop speakers was a good deal for me. Anyhow, there all plugged in, and i’m ready to listen away. First off, these speakers are a lot smaller than i thought they’d be. The two speakers are TiiNY. The sub, is pretty small to, and not too heavy, bout the size of 5 tissue boxes stacked onto each other. Yeah, but that all doesn’t matter because they look nice, and feel nice to touch, strong and sturdy, not cheap wood.

As for the sound, i have to say for the price, they’re very good for what they do. The bass though not powerful, is decent, and the system can get pretty loud. I live in an apartment, and on full volume its enough to disturb the neighbors. All in all, i’m pretty satisfied, not blown away, but for 50 bucks, you can’t go wrong with these.

WASHINGTON: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday that the worst US recession since the Great Depression was probably over, but the recovery would be slow and it would take time to create new jobs. Click here to read the rest.

So in light of the gloomy news, in order to cheer you up, I’m sharing  the current gas prices at your local gas station. Ready? 12.8 Cents a litre!!! How cheap is that!?

Fuel at 12.8 Cents a Litre

To benefit from these prices, there is one small thing you’ll have to do…

Move to Saudi Arabia.

Feel better?

Me neither, I’m currently paying close to $1 a liter in Toronto.

*Price is .478 Halalas per litre of 91 Octane or converted to USD = 12.8 cents

1 USD = 3.75 Saudi Arabian Riyals             1 Riyal = 100 Halalas

Signing Off,

StoreKeeper.

Now, since i’ve made that statment, lets get on with this review. I’ve had the Iphone 3G ever since launch date in Canada, and i only bothered to get it because my phone provider was giving it to me for free as long as i paid the broadband access fee. It was a good deal, andwith all the hoopla surrounding the phone back then i said to myself, “why not try it out and see what all this commotion is about?”

The nokia n97, i received as gift almost 3 months ago while i was in Saudi Arabia, and is my primary phone currently.

Verdict: If you are going to choose between buying these phone’s hands down choice:  Apply Iphone 3Gs.

OMG?WTF?WHY? so many of you may say.

The reason the Iphone wins in my opinion is because the phone is just..much better in all ways. Firstly, the phone is built with quality materials. Now i don’t know exactly what the damn phone is made out of but i do know when you hold the Iphone, it feels nice,  sturdy, and strong. When you drop the Iphone, as you will do on many occasions unless your an alien or Oprah, the phone will not shatter, or break into tiny pieces, nor get scratched. Its a solid phone. The Nokia n97, even after its cost of 1000$ during launch, will fall, and the battery will go flying one way, while the back casing another, and you WILL have a dent in its soft plastic shell. Its pathetic. How can Nokia explain such a cheap construction when someone pays such a high price for a phone?

What ticks me off most, is the touch screen on the Nokia. Its complete junk, and non responsive. Often times your phone will lag, you won’t be able click, freezes, wrong programs opening up when your clicking, very frustrating. The Iphone, in my 1 year of use, has got to be the best touch screen interface i have ever used, and i’ve used a lot. Especially because of a dual input interface, which is very accurate (two fingers registered on the screen as separate points). Nokia does not support this.

Nokia shipped the n97 with a faulty operating system. Those launch phone’s are glitchy beyond hell. For those of you who have one, the unlocking function on the phone will drive you mad. Even with the new firmware update, problems are still evident in the phone.

I have to say, I have never bought another manufacture’s phone except Nokia since day 1. I loved Nokia, but then, i knew about no one else. Once the Iphone came into my life, there was no turning back. I know many of you will get into the specifications and say Nokia blasts the Iphone out of the water, but to be fair, no one even uses half those features on a day to day basis, and when its hard enough making calls, those other features become useless. In addition the new flagship Iphone 3Gs, comes pretty close to matching most if not exceeding most of the specifications of the n97.

A cellphone should not frustrate you, but rather support you, and the Iphone supports me.

Click here for Specs on the two phones.

Signing off,

StoreKeeper

Take a listen, and be sure to check out his new album here, Wish Upon a Blackstar Vol. 1 out now. So Long Sentiment, is my current favorite.

Wish Upon a Blackstar Vol. 1 - Celldweller

Signing Off,

StoreKeeper.

Batmobile or new BMW Concept?

Click the Photo for further details.

Signing Off,

StoreKeeper.

The new PS3 Slim

In the market for a new system? Having owned both  since their respective launch dates, i can safely say you should get a Playstation 3. Why Storekeeper i hear you say? Following are my reasons on why to get a PS3 instead:

1. Though the Xbox 360 does have a fairly large database of games, i honestly believe the PS3 has a better gaming catalogue based on quality. Especially with Sony’s in house software house which produces games like the new upcoming God of War, and Naughty Dog’s Unchartered 2 out 13 October 2009, and not to mention classics like Game of the Year 2008 Metal Gear Solid 4 you can’t go wrong. Halo is so like Lady Gaga, everyone just wants you to disappear now.

2. I’ve had to bury 4 Xbox 360′s because of the doomed Red Rings of Death. First Playstation 3, still kicking and screaming. I don’t care if the new 360′s don’t fail, you’ve still failed in my eyes microsoft for launching a faulty product. Come time for the new Xbox, i’ll wait 3 years first.

3. Bluray movies kick ass.

4. Killzone 2 anyone?

5. PS3 rumble remote controller is out of this world when playing fighting or first person shooter games.

6. Free Online Multiplayer for PS3. Microsoft it’s time to stop charging me 49.99$ a year to play online. Especially since in the first place I bought that game for another 59.99$.

7. Better graphics on the PS3. In gaming, that matters a lot.

With the new price cut on the PS3, which is now priced at 299.99$, its a lot better if you invest in a PS3. Just my thoughts.

Here’s a link for UNCHARTED 2 coming out October 16,2009, and PSM (playstation magazine) reviewed the game 21/20. I think its time you went out and picked up a PS3. http://n4g.com/ps3/News-394102.aspx

Signing Off,

StoreKeeper.

Local Bakala

First blog, first words, first sentence. How about we start with the name of the blog. “Bakala,” pronounced “BUH-KA-LAH” an arabic word, or atleast i think its arabic, is known in middle eastern countries as your local convenience store.  I should really brush up on my arabic, my parents would be disappointed. I really don’t know why I chose the name, except for the reason, I love these small stores all around Saudi, and i miss them while in Toronto, where i spend most of my time. Plus its got a wicked ring to it when you say it out loud. Try it!

Really don’ t know what the blogs main emphasis is going to be on. I could swear i had loads of ideas before i signed up. Thats how it is always anyhow. Right?

Ah yes, now i remember,a digital local convenience store, though i’m not selling anything, i guess i’ll organize it a similar fashion.

Blog about all things which the customer would want to read about. That’s so cheesy lol. But i’m keeping it.

For kicks, here’s a link on local Bakala’s in the UAE.  http://www.arabianbusiness.com/501196-rise-of-the-convenience-store-concept?ln=en

Here’s me signing off,

StoreKeeper.