Tips to speed up your network

Many people put up with very slow internet speeds and poor network performance.  With a little tweaking, you too could have a fast connection that’s reliable and works for you.  If you follow all (or at least most) of these steps, you’ll have a network that’s actually up to the task of managing data across any home computers, portable devices (iPhones, iPads etc), and of course, your games console.  There’s no excuse!

Sort out your computer

If you’re running Windows, then for antivirus install Microsoft Security Essentials as it’s lean, mean, and doesn’t bother you.  Plus it’s free, which helps!  It goes without saying that if your computer is very old and/or full with too many programs, then you may need to give it a spring clean or think about making an upgrade if the situation warrants it.

It’s worth mentioning that spyware and malware can significantly slow down your browsing experience, so you should regularly scan for nasties.  Yup, it’s obvious, but it needs to be said.  Also, whether you’re running Windows or a Mac, always have your firewall turned on.

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A peripheral too far?

Now don’t get me wrong, I like a good peripheral as much as the next person but seriously, another one?  As well as the standard PS3 console with controller, I have two additional controllers for multiplayer, a PlayStation Eye, the obligatory bluetooth headset and a bluetooth chat pad that clips onto whatever controller you’re using.  So now I’m to fork out for a PlayStation Move controller and possibly the ‘Nav controller’?

Of course though, if you want any kind of offline multiplayer experiences with your shiny new toy you’re going to have to buy multiple controllers.  You’re not too bad if you plump for the ‘PlayStation Move Starter Pack‘ that Amazon is selling for £39.99.  Which isn’t bad value considering you get the move controller, a PlayStation Eye, and a starter disc.  What I find incredible though, is that for someone like me who already owns the PlayStation Eye, the standalone Move controller still retails for £38.  Unbelievable.

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Have you tried renting games instead?

This is a brief summary of my experience with LoveFilm, and how the service started well, but went a bit downhill.  Now, I’ve been thinking about this for some time, and my conclusion may surprise you: it wasn’t really their fault.  My initial dilemma was that there weren’t really any games out there that I fancied buying at all, never mind at full price, but I’d certainly rent them!  LoveFilm had been advertising on TV for (what seemed like) years and I thought I’d give them a try.

The real problem with LoveFilm is that it’s games package doesn’t really work.  This is through no fault of their own, it’s just the nature of the beast.  Games tend to be out ‘on hire’ for far longer than films, so the chances of you receiving a popular game that’s just come out are few and far between.  My rental list had a good mixture of films and games, but because the games were almost always unavailable, I kept on receiving films instead.  Based on the service I received, I would definitely recommend loveFilm if you’re after renting films, particularly Blu-Ray films as the rental packages available represent outstanding value for money.

I just see very little value in paying extra for the games packages when you don’t stand a fair chance of receiving any games for weeks at a time.  So, have you tried renting games?  Are you thinking about it?  Drop me a line in the comments section below.

I’m going to ‘Platinum’ Modern Warfare 2

Yep, you heard it here first.  For those of you that are of the Xbox persuasion, I guess it means that I’m after 100% of achievements.  But it’s not going to be easy.  My biggest hurdles are the special ops missions, which present an interesting bunch of scenarios: some are almost too easy (hello Wardriving, Armour Piercing) whilst others verge on the ridiculously tough (big shout out to Snatch & Grab and High Explosive).

You may be thinking Modern Warfare 2 is yesterday’s news- been there, done that, next.  Well, up to a point.  You see, as much as I hate to say it, I’ll just spit it out anyway- all the games that have come out this year haven’t really interested me.  Any games that I might go for, will only be bought once they’ve come down in price.  One of the few games coming up this year that I will most certainly buy at full price, will be Call of Duty: Black Ops.

But until that time, Modern Warfare 2 has sustained me throughout most of this year, with the single player campaign completed on veteran, and the online multiplayer to dip in and out of.  And of course, special ops!  So that’s what I’ve been up to with my gaming.

Ex-Age Of Empires Devs Working On Microsoft Strategy Game

Remember Age of Empires?  Well, Kotaku has a scoop on what the ex-Age of Empires Devs might be working on.  News has leaked out about beta testers being recruited to test Robot Entertainment’s ‘Project S’ involving Spartans or something similar.  A return to form?  I sure hope so!  I’ll be keeping a close eye on this on-going news.

My Sony E3 2010 keynote digest

E3 has come around again so soon (it appears), or am I just getting older?  Bah, humbug.  Anyhow, after Sony’s kitchen-sink-approach to keynotes and surprises I’ll only highlight in brief a few items that have piqued my interest:

PlayStation Move

Speaking of the devil, the Move has finally been priced and dated which ‘moves’ it out of the vapourware category.  Should be an interesting direction to take the PS3, but who exactly is it aimed at?  If it’s mainly children, then they’ve already got the Wii, and for parents the Wii is a heck of a lot cheaper.  This concerns me.

I’ll qualify the above with a caveat though: the PlayStation has the best tech in this area now.  Way more accurate (1:1 tracking) than anything the Wii can offer with better graphics and sound to boot, and more tactile than the Xbox 360’s Project Natal Kinect product.  I’m sorry, but waving your arms about can be hit and miss whilst gaming whether you’re a seasoned gamer or a casual one.  That’s just the way it is.

Killzone 3

The graphics should be spectacular, and it has support for PlayStation Move.

3D gaming has arrived

This isn’t really a big deal for me, as I don’t buy into the whole 3D spiel just yet.  However I can’t argue with the fact that this is potentially another exciting avenue for the PS3 (and gaming in general) to be going down.

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Hands-on with Steam for the Mac

I find myself once again in familiar territory, as if everything has somehow come full-circle.  Some of my most memorable gaming moments have been on the PC with the Half-Life series and Counter Strike.  Anyone familiar with the Half-Life series will have been well acquainted with Steam as one is never present without the other.

However, as the years roll on, things change.  I originally ran the Steam client on my Windows XP machine, but now I’m running a Mac.  PC gaming became less of an issue for me with the advent of the PS3.  You had true next generation gaming, with each game for the console guaranteed to work- no upgrades necessary.

Rather than continuing being the sole preserve of the PC gaming community, on May 12th 2010 Steam became available for the Mac also.  The biggest benefit though is true multi-platform availability.  If you have a copy of a PC game through Steam, it’ll be available to play on the Mac at no extra cost… in theory.

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Answering the Call of Duty

It’s quite apt for the Call of Duty/Modern Warfare series that I myself have been ‘off the grid’ on this blog for most of April.  So what have I been up to?  If you were to say wasting countless enemies and blowing stuff up, then you wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

I’ve previously mentioned dabbling with Modern Warfare 2 and moaning about how difficult it has been.  So much so I even came up with my own tips on how to complete ‘Loose Ends’ on veteran.  As it turns out, after I’ve kept chipping away at the game, I’ve mastered most aspects of it.  It’s now really fun and I can pretty much hold my own against anyone.  I still struggle with some of the more challenging special ops though.  I don’t really see myself completing them all.

So what does a gamer who is new to the Call of Duty series do next?  Hungry for more sublime action, I decided to get Call of Duty: World at War.  Yes, the game will be two years old this November, but I told you I was new to the series!  I’d always fancied getting World at War, but it had always been too expensive.  So, I just waited for it to come down in price and with a little help from the invisible hand it was mine for about £17.99 ish.  Sweet.

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